Aston Villa and Paris Saint-Germain have been pitted against each other in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.
The Villans romped into a 6-1 win against Belgian side Club Brugge over two legs, while PSG needed a penalty shootout at Anfield to dump Liverpool out of the competition and advance to the last eight.
The first leg of the Villa-PSG tie will take place at Parc des Princes in Paris on Wednesday, April 9 with the return leg at Villa Park on Tuesday, April 15. Luis Enrique’s side are clear favourites on paper for this tie, so the Premier League side under Unai Emery have the opportunity to script a big upset next month.
That being said, here are three things to look forward to when Aston Villa face Paris Saint-Germain.
- Unai Emery’s tactics
Unai Emery will return to PSG after seven long years. He won seven trophies during his stint at Parc des Princes but was not given enough time to take PSG to European heights.
The Spaniard is now settled at Aston Villa and must be raring to upset his former employers next month. Emery has a strong squad at his disposal; some extremely talented individuals who can win matches on their own. So, what will be his tactics against PSG? Will he take the risk of going toe-to-toe with the Les Parisians or stifle their excellent midfield unit by playing an extra body in the engine room?
PSG will play and try to take a big first-leg lead at home, but Villa may want to go to the Parc des Princes to play spoilsport and disrupt their attack by sitting deep. It will be interesting to see what Emery does to stop the French champions’ galaxy of attacking talents.
- How does Marco Asensio perform against his parent club?
Marco Asensio has been a revelation for Villa since arriving on loan from PSG during the January transfer window. After finding his PSG career at crossroads, he decided to join Villa and the move has reinvigorated him.
Only PSG forward Ousmane Dembele (eight) has scored more goals in Europe’s big five leagues across all competitions than Asensio (seven) since his debut for Villa last month. The Spanish international’s goals have come in eight games, which includes a treble in the last-16 tie against Club Brugge.
In what is a massive boost for Villa, the 29-year-old will be available for selection against his parent club PSG. Asensio should be determined to prove a point to Enrique and make a difference over both the last-8 legs. This means PSG’s Champions League dream could end at the hands of one of their own players.
- Midfield battle
Both PSG and Villa have some exciting technicians in the middle of the park.
PSG’s midfield trio of Vitinha, Joao Neves and Fabian Ruiz looked head and shoulders above Liverpool midfielders over two legs of the 16-tie. The passing, movement, anticipation and off the ball work ethic make them one of the most well-oiled units across the continent, leaving the opposition with something special to come up with to bypass the troika.
So, one would expect PSG to dominate possession—something Emery’s Villa will not mind. Amadou Onana has had a disruptive first season at Villa Park due to injury problems. Now that he has returned, hope is the Belgian stays fit and participates in both games. If he does, Villa’s midfield will certainly possess more dynamism and aerial prowess. Add John McGinn’s industry and Youri Tielemans’ technical ability, the Villans’ midfield department will not be easily overwhelmed by PSG.
