Vicente Iborra hopes to use what Unai Emery taught him to beat Villa in Athens
Emery has won the Europa League four times, three times with Sevilla and once with Villarreal, and Iborra was in his team on every occasion.
Olympiacos midfielder Vicente Iborra knows exactly what lengths Aston Villa boss Unai Emery will be going to in his bid to achieve more European glory.
Villa travel to Athens on Thursday for their Europa Conference League semi-final second leg, looking to overturn last week’s 4-2 first-leg deficit.
Emery has won the Europa League four times, three times with Sevilla and once with Villarreal, and Iborra was in his team on every occasion.
The pair are on opposite sides this time, but Iborra, who had a two-year stint with Leicester between 2017 and 2019, will be driven by one of the messages his former boss instilled in him.
“What we know is the coach of the visiting team, I am sure they have studied every single detail,” he said.
“He is a coach that takes into consideration every detail which might happen in the match.
“He will try and have everything under control, convey his message to the players and anticipate what might happen in the match.
“I have learned many things from Mr Emery, but one thing I will never forget from him is, in order to find yourself in a final, in order to experience this great moment in your lifetime, one truly has to want that, one has to long for it.
“I believe the team that makes it to the final will be the one who wants it the most, who will strive the most.”
Boss Jose Luis Mendilibar, who first managed against Emery 20 years ago, said: “What I truly I know about Emery is he 100 per cent believes he can knock us out.
“He truly wants that and that is a great weapon.”
