Unai Emery has called on Aston Villa to 'break our limit' by boosting their chances of securing automatic qualification for the Champions League last 16 with a win against RB Leipzig. Villa, making their first appearance in Europe's top club competition since 1983, can take a significant step towards the knockout phase if they can overcome the Bundesliga side, who are yet to register a point after five matches.

Villa arrived in Germany on the back of consecutive Premier League victories and are looking to bounce back on the continent after a surprising defeat at Club Brugge and a draw at home against Juventus. Emery emphasized that Villa must learn from their tough trip to Belgium when facing Leipzig, another team considered underdogs, despite their recent history of Champions League participation, including a semi-final run under Julian Nagelsmann four years ago.

Emery expressed his excitement about the challenge of facing a team with everything at stake. 'My desire to play in this competition is because of how we can break our limit,' he said. 'Initially, we were aiming to finish between positions eight and 24 [in the table], but the opportunity to be in the top eight, [it's about] how we can rise to this challenge, how the players can respond and showcase our capabilities. I want to play matches like this because it's good for our mentality, how we can manage a game like tomorrow, and with the difficulties we are going to face. Perhaps tomorrow, if they are not winning, they will have no chance to advance to the next round, and for Leipzig, they typically have the capacity, players, and objective to be there.'

Morgan Rogers, who made his England debut last month, less than a year after joining Villa from second-tier Middlesbrough, said he has relished the step up in class and the challenge of maintaining peak condition. The midfielder has solidified his place in Emery's team, usually playing behind Ollie Watkins in attack, though Jhon Durán started and scored the winner in the victory against Southampton on Saturday.

'I thought the Championship was tough, but this is a whole new level,' said Rogers, who also represented Bournemouth and Blackpool in the division. 'It's about eating, sleeping well, and training right. It's about understanding your body better than anyone else.

Everyone uses different methods, but it's about ensuring you're ready to go when the whistle blows. It's about understanding your body and using that to your advantage.'

Emery mentioned that partnering Watkins and Durán together in attack is his next challenge. 'They are both very good strikers with different experiences,' the Villa manager said. 'Watkins is gaining more experience with the national team and in Europe, being consistent and competitive with everything we need on the field, and Durán has great potential and is progressively getting better. Now he's much better than two years ago. The next challenge I have is to play with both.'

Emery's journey to his pre-match press conference at the Red Bull Arena was slightly delayed by traffic caused by fans arriving for a concert by the heavy metal band Slipknot at the arena opposite the stadium. Villa are without Leon Bailey due to a minor hamstring issue, while Jacob Ramsey is nearing a return to action after sustaining a hamstring injury in the defeat by Liverpool last month.

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