By Staff Reporter
Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa will battle for the first major European trophy of the new football season when they meet in the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday, August 12, at Salzburg Stadium in Austria.
The match, scheduled for 9pm local time (19:00 GMT), pits Champions League winners PSG against Europa League champions Aston Villa.
PSG are aiming to retain the trophy after defeating Tottenham Hotspur on penalties in last year’s edition. A victory would make them only the fourth club to successfully defend the UEFA Super Cup in its current format.
PSG Enter as Favourites
PSG head into the match as favourites after an impressive European campaign last season. However, their preparations have been complicated by the late return of several players following the World Cup.
Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele, along with France teammates Desire Doue and Bradley Barcola, only returned to training on Monday. Spain midfielder Fabian Ruiz also recently rejoined the squad after his World Cup commitments.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who missed the World Cup because Georgia failed to qualify, has had a longer preseason and is expected to start on the left wing.
New signing Maghnes Akliouche could feature on the opposite flank after joining from Monaco.
PSG have also strengthened their squad with the signing of former Aston Villa defender Lucas Digne. The 33-year-old returned to his former club in a reported €10 million ($11.6 million) transfer.
Villa Face Midfield Challenges
Aston Villa, meanwhile, begin the new season with significant changes to their squad.
Unai Emery’s side won the Europa League last season after beating Freiburg 3-0 in the final and will compete in the Champions League for the second time under the Spanish coach.
However, Villa lost important midfielders Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans during the offseason, while Digne also left for PSG.
The club has brought in Brazilian midfielder Joao Gomes from Wolverhampton and Swiss World Cup midfielder Johan Manzambi. Manzambi, however, will miss the Super Cup through injury.
Villa will also be without Leon Bailey, who has a muscular problem, while Amadou Onana is sidelined with a knee injury.
Previous Meetings
The two clubs have met only twice, with both encounters coming in the Champions League last season.
PSG won the first leg 3-1 before Villa responded with a 3-2 victory in the return match. PSG nevertheless advanced with a 5-4 aggregate win.
PSG Favourites to Lift Trophy
According to Opta’s pre-match simulations, PSG have the advantage. The French champions were given a 45 percent chance of winning in 90 minutes, compared with 29.6 percent for Aston Villa.
The possibility of a draw leading to extra time and potentially penalties was put at 25.5 percent.
Villa manager Unai Emery has also lost all three of his previous UEFA Super Cup appearances, while PSG coach Luis Enrique has won both of his previous Super Cup matches.
Predicted Lineups
Paris Saint-Germain: Safonov; Zabarnyi, Marquinhos, Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes; Joao Neves, Vitinha, Dro Fernandez; Mbaye, Mayulu, Kvaratskhelia.
Aston Villa: Bizot; Cash, Lindelof, Pau Torres, Maatsen; Joao Gomes, Kamara; McGinn, Buendía, Garnacho; Abraham.
PSG have several players carrying fitness concerns, including Dembele, Barcola, Doue, Ruiz, Achraf Hakimi, Lucas Hernandez and Warren Zaire-Emery.
Villa also have doubts over Alejandro Garnacho, John McGinn, Emiliano Konsa, Emiliano Martinez and Ollie Watkins.
The UEFA Super Cup promises to provide an early test of both clubs as they begin another demanding European campaign, with PSG looking to add another trophy to their growing collection and Villa seeking to announce their return to Europe’s elite with a major victory.
