Aston Villa will go top of the Premier League on Friday night should they defeat Sheffield United at home – but their manager Unai Emery is urging them to avoid complacency.

Villa have won 15 straight home league games – including beating Arsenal and Manchester City – and inspired by top goalscorer Ollie Watkins and their captain, Scotland midfielder John McGinn, they have been one of the most impressive performers in the English top flight. They are warm favourites to defeat the Blades, who are in the relegation zone and struggling for form, but Emery does not want his players to take anything for granted.

“I have to try to keep the same motivation and the same preparation for the matches as we have been doing. I can remind them and myself of some matches we played before we started winning,” he said, with Villa third, a point behind leaders Arsenal. “When we are not playing in our structure and organising our structure with and without the ball, even against the best team or bottom team in the table, we are closer to losing.

Aston Villa could go top of the Premier League if they defeat Sheffield United on Friday night.

“My concern with the players is being consistent, to be consistent preparing the match, to be consistent during the match and focusing on our game plan. When we were winning against, more or less, the best teams in the Premier League like Arsenal and Manchester City in the last two matches at home we are now facing the same difficulty against Sheffield as against Arsenal and City.”

Boubacar Kamara is banned after his red card in the 2-1 win at Brentford and starts a three-game suspension. Pau Torres, Bertrand Traore and Youri Tielemans are injured but Douglas Luiz and Lucas Digne will return. Emery added: “Youri, we are thinking maybe not more than two weeks, but he is now working alone and recovering his injury in his calf. Pau Torres, it is his ankle. It’s a small injury. Every day coming is important to how he is improving, I don’t know if he will be available for Manchester United, but he could be.”

Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder insists his side need to “learn pretty quickly” how to get results as they face a tricky trip to Birmingham. “It’s difficult learning on the job in the Premier League, they are still a young group, no excuses,” he said. “We are in the arena where we have to compete, a demanding arena, but they have to learn pretty quickly. The only way I can see whether they are learning or not is by seeing that in practice and in action. I’m learning every day, eyes are wide open, ears are listening to everything, I’m a sponge and looking at different positions and scenarios. But always learning about the players and hopefully more after Friday night.”

United have the worst defensive record in the Premier League and have conceded 43 goals in their opening 17 games. However, they earned their first clean sheet of the season since Wilder’s return as Blades boss with a 1-0 victory at Brentford a couple of weeks ago.

Aston Villa warned to avoid complacency as they eye Premier League summit