European champions Paris Saint-Germain will try to claim consecutive UEFA Super Cups on Wednesday evening, when they vie with Europa League winners Aston Villa for more silverware.
PSG are set to meet English opponents for a second straight season, as the traditional curtain-raiser pits Luis Enrique‘s dominant side against Unai Emery‘s men in Salzburg.
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN
Now seeking to repeat Real Madrid’s back-to-back triumphs in 2016 and 2017, Paris Saint-Germain overcame Tottenham Hotspur to win last year’s edition of the UEFA Super Cup, which took place in Udine.
A late revival saw PSG swerve defeat and then beat Spurs on penalties, and they must face Premier League opposition again, after collecting another Champions League trophy at the end of last season.
Fielding a team without several World Cup stars, the French champions lost 3-0 away to Mallorca in their first pre-season friendly, before playing out a 1-1 draw with Manchester United.
While still lacking match-sharpness, they are still set to take the initiative on Wednesday, having scored in 28 straight competitive games since January’s derby defeat to Paris FC.
ASTON VILLA
If previous meetings with Aston Villa are any guide, goals could be on the menu again: en route to their first Champions League triumph, PSG edged Villa 5-4 on aggregate in a frantic quarter-final tie.
Though the Villans bowed out of Europe on that occasion, last season’s continental adventures took them all the way to Istanbul, where they emphatically beat Freiburg in the Europa League final.
However, having lifted their first major trophy for 30 years, two heroes from that night have already departed, with England forward Morgan Rogers and Belgium captain Youri Tielemans both moving on.
The Birmingham club acted quickly to replace them, securing the services of Alejandro Garnacho, Joao Gomes and Swiss star Johan Manzambi, all amid a busy pre-season schedule.
Emery’s men have played six friendlies so far, winning three and suffering three losses, including Friday’s 2-1 defeat to Bayern Munich.
He may be a proven Europa League specialist, but Emery has lost all three prior attempts to add the UEFA Super Cup, most notably losing 5-4 to Luis Enrique’s Barcelona while with Sevilla.
By contrast, Aston Villa have a perfect Super Cup record, beating Barca 3-1 on aggregate in their only previous appearance, just a few months after defeating Bayern to win the 1982 European Cup.
INJURIES
Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, Fabian Ruiz, Achraf Hakimi, Lucas Hernandez and Warren Zaire-Emery could play some part if considered sufficiently match fit.
Captain John McGinn limped off during last last week’s friendly win over BG Pathum United, meaning he could join Manzambi and Amadou Onana (ACL) on the sidelines; it remains to be seen if Ezri Konsa, Ollie Watkins and Emi Martinez are ready to start.
PREDICTION
PSG can become just the fourth team to retain the UEFA Super Cup, following in the footsteps of historic Ajax, AC Milan and Real Madrid sides.
Not only have the Champions League winners prevailed in each of the last seven editions, but the French giants are ravenous trophy hunters under Luis Enrique, while Unai Emery’s Aston Villa are in the midst of a minor rebuild.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
