Aston Villa is set to compete in the Super Cup for the first time since 1982, facing Paris Saint-Germain in a match that echoes their 2024-25 Champions League quarter-final clash. The upcoming game in Austria presents a new chapter for the club, with manager Unai Emery seeking his first Super Cup victory.
Their previous encounter with PSG, just 484 days prior, was a dramatic affair. Trailing 3-1 from the first leg in Paris and falling further behind to a 5-1 aggregate deficit in Birmingham, Aston Villa mounted a significant comeback, winning the second leg 3-2. Despite the heroic effort, they were ultimately eliminated 5-4 on aggregate. That performance was seen as a key indicator of Emery's success in transforming Villa into a team capable of competing with Europe's elite.
The upcoming Super Cup fixture will feature a markedly different Aston Villa squad. Several key players from the 2024-25 season are no longer with the club, including Morgan Rogers, Lucas Digne, and Youri Tielemans, who have been sold. Amadou Onana is sidelined with an injury expected to keep him out until next year. While Boubacar Kamara is available, he is just returning from a serious knee injury sustained in January.
Furthermore, key players Emi Martinez, Konsa, and Ollie Watkins have not traveled for the match. They are taking a month-long break after participating in the World Cup. This means that potentially only four players from the starting lineup that faced PSG 18 months ago might feature. Five substitutes from that previous match have also departed the club.
Despite the significant squad changes, captain John McGinn expressed confidence in the team's continued trajectory. "A lot has changed in the eight years I've been here," McGinn stated. "When you are signing the best young English talent and players are performing at the highest level there will be interest. We have a structure in place, standards and rules which have made us a success. I'm really excited about the new Aston Villa. We have our main core, the same manager, same methods and same desire to achieve more."
PSG players, including Vitinha, have acknowledged the threat posed by Aston Villa, recalling the difficulty of their previous encounter. "It was such a difficult test, especially the second half," Vitinha commented. "We'll be ready but we're conscious of how difficult it's going to be."