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Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery has insisted his team are ready to compete for major silverware as they prepare to host Bologna in their third Champions League game of the season.

The Birmingham-based side have won both of their games in the competition so far having qualified for European football’s elite competition for the first time since the 1982-83 season.

“I don’t want to waste my time here, that is my message. You can’t waste your time here,” Emery told a news conference on Monday.

“My objective here is to keep the same level we have now, Champions League and add more to be contenders for titles.

“This is the message, we love football, we love our work and we want to be successful.”

Villa Park is set for its second Champions League game — the competition was rebranded from the European Cup at the start of the 1992 season — having played host to Jhon Durán’s stunning winner against Bayern Munich in the previous game.

Emery said he doesn’t want his team to merely be making up the numbers, and restated his intention to qualify for the competition on a regular basis.