ASTON Villa boss Unai Emery insists facing Saints is his side's "most important match" despite hosting PSG in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Seventh-placed Villa travel to the south coast chasing European qualification and in the middle of a two-legged Champions League quarter-final against PSG, which they trail 3-1 on aggregate.

Meanwhile, Simon Rusk, who previously oversaw Southampton’s goalless draw at Fulham in December wants to bring back some positivity moving towards the club’s return to the Championship.

“I want players focusing like I am focusing on each match in the Premier League,” four-time Europa League-winner Emery said, ahead of facing basement boys Saints.

“Of course, we can remember how we were playing sometimes in the middle of the Champions League matches and when we weren’t working well, we weren’t achieving our objective. But now it's not an excuse.

“If we are not performing well tomorrow, we are at risk. My message here, my message for the supporters, for our objective and with my responsibility to set the objective clearly, tomorrow is the most important match we are playing now.”

He added: “I am here because I was successful. If I was not being successful in my career as a coach and demanding like I am and was, I would not be here.

“They chose me, the owners, because I was a coach more or less in my career, always getting my objective through the clubs. Of course, not always.

“Coming here is because they wanted to try to get the same, to be ambitious, to work hard, to increase our demands, to increase our objectives during the process we are in.

“If I am not getting it, I am going to lose my reputation, I am going to lose my position as a coach in football and maybe I will get the sack again!"