JAKARTA - Unai Emery chose to set aside the moment of his reunion with Arsenal in the Europa League semifinals and focus on the opportunity to show off the team's abilities he has handled since last season, Villarreal.
Villarreal qualified for the semifinals after a 2-1 win over Dinamo Zagreb in the second leg of the quarter-final at Estadio la Ceramica, Spain, Thursday local time, to step up with a 3-1 aggregate win over the Croatian club.
In the semifinals, Villarreal will meet Arsenal, allowing Emery to undergo a small reunion with the Gunners, the club he had handled for a season and a half until November 2019.
"First of all, I am used to meeting the teams I have worked with. So facing Arsenal is not a new experience", Emery said after the match was reported by UEFA's official website.
For Emery what matters most now is the opportunity to put Villarreal in the ranks of European successful clubs.
The reason is, this will be Villarreal's fifth appearance in a prestigious European competition, but on the previous four occasions, The Yellow Submarine has always failed to reach the final.
The encounter with Arsenal clearly reminded Villarreal supporters of the 2005/06 Champions League semi-final, when they were eliminated with a narrow 0-1 aggregate defeat.
"This is Villarreal's fifth semi-final in Europe, it shows we are capable", said Emery.
"This is an opportunity to put Villarreal in the top ranks of Europe. The key is we want to enjoy what we have achieved so far and try to take the opportunity to erase the bad record of failing to get past the European semifinals", he concluded.
Emery himself has a brilliant track record in the Europa League, where he was able to bring Sevilla to win three consecutive seasons.
Villarreal will host Arsenal first at the Estadio la Ceramica on Thursday, April 23 next week, before changing to the Emirates a week later.
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