Aston Villa Afternoon Round-Up, Friday 23rd October 2026: Emery Upbeat as Man City Clash Nears

It's been a quieter afternoon for Villa news, with most of the focus on Sunday's big test against Manchester City. BBC Sport's chief football writer Phil McNulty believes Unai Emery's "2.0 reboot" has lifted spirits around the club, noting the timing coincides with the fourth anniversary of his appointment as manager (BBC Sport).

On the team news front, Emery has given an update on Johan Manzambi's fitness and dropped hints about his selection thinking ahead of the City game, according to Birmingham Live (Birmingham Live). The same outlet also covered Emery's pre-match media session in detail, where he discussed injuries, touched on City's rule-breaking situation, and delivered what's being described as a clear "message" to his squad (Birmingham Live).

More updates to follow as we build towards the weekend's big match.

This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.