Aston Villa: Unai Emery Pursues His Maiden Super Cup

Wednesday’s meeting between Villa and PSG will be a rematch of their 2024-25 Champions League quarter-final.

Villa lost the opening leg 3-1 at the Parc des Princes and later found themselves 5-1 down overall in Birmingham, but they came remarkably close to producing a major upset.

After falling two goals behind on the night, they mounted an impressive comeback to win 3-2. Although they were eliminated 5-4 on aggregate, the performance showed how Emery had transformed Villa into a team capable of challenging Europe’s elite.

That encounter remains fresh in the memories of the PSG squad, and Vitinha is fully aware of the danger Villa can pose.

“It was an extremely demanding match, particularly after half-time,” Vitinha said.

“We will be prepared, but we understand just how tough the challenge will be.”

Only 484 days after that contest, Villa are expected to field a significantly different team in Austria.

Morgan Rogers, Lucas Digne and Youri Tielemans have all departed, while an injury will keep Amadou Onana sidelined until next year.

Boubacar Kamara has been included in the squad, although the midfielder has only recently returned from the serious knee injury he sustained in January.

Emi Martinez, Ezri Konsa and Ollie Watkins have not made the trip following their World Cup involvement, with Emery granting each of them a month-long break.

As a result, Villa could start with only four players who were in the line-up against the French champions 18 months earlier. Five substitutes from that match have also since left the club.

Such extensive turnover represents a major shift for a Villa side known for its stability and consistency during Emery’s tenure.

“The club has undergone many changes during my eight years here,” captain McGinn said.

“When a club recruits outstanding young English players and they deliver at the highest level, interest from elsewhere is inevitable.

“We have established a clear structure, along with the standards and principles that have driven our progress. I am genuinely enthusiastic about this new chapter for Aston Villa.

“The core of the team remains intact, as do the manager, his approach and our ambition to keep improving. Many believed we had already reached our limit a few seasons ago, but we showed that assessment was wrong.”