Richard Dunne believes former club Aston Villa are genuine contenders for Champions League qualification.

Unai Emery's side beat Fulham 3-1 before the international break and sit fifth in the Premier League table on 25 points.

Ex-Villa defender Dunne, 44, is impressed with the style of football and consistency implemented by the Villans boss, which he says is in stark contrast to Erik ten Hag at Manchester United.

The former Republic of Ireland international told LiveScore: "Before a ball was kicked in 2023-24, I would have said Champions League qualification for Aston Villa is impossible.

"But after watching them this season, I think Villa have a really good chance.

"The impact Unai Emery has made is quite incredible. The style of football, from where they were before, is like night and day.

"You compare it to what Erik ten Hag is doing at Manchester United.

"At Villa, there is a clear identity. Whereas at United you still don't know how they're going to set up or perform and that's down to the manager.

"Villa play a really high line at times. They take risks, but they're also calculated risks.

"Emery has made Villa really fun to watch — and they've got a great chance of winning the Europa Conference League."

Home is where the heart is

Much of Villa's recent success has been down to their superb home form, with the West Midlands outfit winning their last 13 Premier League games at Villa Park.

The impressive run includes a 6-1 triumph over fellow European hopefuls Brighton on September 30 when star striker Ollie Watkins notched a hat-trick and two assists.

But while Villa have been imperious at home of late, Dunne believes the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool will still fancy their chances of leaving Birmingham with three points this season.

He added: "The problem with Villa Park is that the big teams love to play there.

"It's a great stadium, big pitch and those sides relish going to places like that.

"Villa have a style of football which is hard to play against, a high line and an onus on pulling opposition players out of position, but against the likes of City, Liverpool or Arsenal they may get caught out.

"I still think Villa are lacking a couple of players to really challenge the big teams [over the course of a season] but in a one off game you would certainly give them a chance."

Emery's side face a tough assignment on Sunday when they host Tottenham, who will be without a number of key players due to injury or suspension — including James Maddison, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.

Villa will then look to secure top spot in their Europa Conference League group next Thursday when they host Legia Warsaw.