Unai Emery said “dreaming is for free” as Aston Villa prepare to face Arsenal knowing victory on Tuesday would cement their place in the Premier League title race and that January arrivals could enhance their chances of staying the distance. Emery warned Villa must learn lessons from 2023-24, when they also had 39 points from their opening 18 matches but ended up finishing fourth.

Despite failing to win any of their first six matches in all competitions and not scoring their first league goal until late September, Villa are third in the division, a point behind Manchester City and three off the leaders, Arsenal. Emery recognises Mikel Arteta and Arsenal will want revenge after losing the reverse fixture at Villa Park earlier this month, Emi Buendía’s stoppage-time strike maintaining Villa’s winning run, which now stands at a club-record-equalling 11 matches after Saturday’s comeback victory at Chelsea.

Emery has consistently downplayed Villa’s chances of being in the conversation for the title but caveated his position when asked whether supporters should temper expectations. “Dreams are free,” the Villa manager said. “Everyone has to dream. I have my dream and I am here getting my dream. My huge dream here and as a coach is to win the Champions League. That is my dream, all my life. The level I am, my dream is still to win Champions League. I don’t know if I can have again this opportunity.

“Last year, we played quarter-finals, four years ago we played semi-finals [with Villarreal]. In each moment, I am realistic. The only dream I have now is tomorrow’s match. Of course, we can analyse how we want to build the team and where we want to get to. There are a lot of ways of where we want to get. But now, there is only tomorrow [Tuesday]. After tomorrow, we will see.”

Emery referenced Villa’s identical position approaching the halfway stage two years ago. “We finished fourth, in the Champions League position, which was of course fantastic. But to speak about the title does not make sense for us, now, in December.”

Asked what Villa can learn from that experience, the 54-year-old added: “We played a lot of matches, we played as well in Europe, got to the semi-finals in the Conference League and lost some players getting injured. We signed Morgan Rogers and he was performing fantastic, but four matches before the end of the season, he was injured. We were right at the limit.

“With every player in the squad we must feel strong. Hopefully we can recover players and we can get to the second part of the season, after tomorrow, playing a lot of matches until the [match] day 38 like last year we did. Two years ago we struggled in the second half of the season. Last year, we were so, so strong. Three years ago, so, so strong. Each match, how we are managing everything, until now, wow, fantastic. If we are thinking today about day 38, the life is passing [us by] and we are not enjoying.”

Discussing Arsenal’s title credentials, Emery declared his former club favourites. “They signed players last summer to have two players in each position,” he said. “They are playing and competing fantastic; they have been so, so strong at everything. How they are building the team, each year they are getting stronger and stronger. It is the biggest test we are going to face this season.”

Matty Cash and Boubacar Kamara are suspended for Tuesday’s match, for which Emery’s squad trained on Monday afternoon before heading to London. Villa’s game at Arsenal is their fifth away trip in seven matches and a third straight visit to the capital, after victories at Chelsea and West Ham.

Emery said he is perplexed at the schedule pitting them against Arsenal for a second time before they have faced Nottingham Forest, whom they meet for the first time this season on 3 January. Villa have raised the issue with the Premier League and discussed the matter with the league’s chief football officer, Tony Scholes.

“It is the first time in my career as a coach, 20 years, that we are finishing the first part of the season not playing against 19 teams,” Emery said. “We are playing 18 teams, with Arsenal two times. I don’t understand. I don’t know why. Normally we are playing tomorrow [on Tuesday] against Nottingham Forest to end the first part of the season. But, of course, I accept it.”

Villa’s director of football, Damian Vidagany, suggested there is a bias in favour of the league’s biggest clubs. “I let you take a look which clubs are playing home both last and next match,” Vidagany said in a social media post. “It would be a disgrace if the fixtures become a political territory.”