Aston Villa must overcome a two-goal deficit on Tuesday evening when they host Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
PSG were 3-1 victors during the first leg at Parc des Princes, with goals from Desire Doue, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Nuno Mendes cancelling out Morgan Rogers’ opener for Villa. The Premier League side face an uphill battle to reach the semi-finals but will be hoping their home supporters can make the difference as they seek a memorable comeback.
Villa were able to make some alterations to their starting lineup during their 3-0 victory over Southampton on Saturday, although Unai Emery selected a stronger side than many expected. The result boosted the Villans’ chances of reaching the Champions League again next season and they need to finish fifth or higher to achieve that.
PSG had the weekend off in Ligue 1 and will be well-rested for the visit to the West Midlands. They have won 26 of their last 28 matches in all competitions and it would be no surprise to see Luis Enrique’s in-form outfit win this year’s competition. They must avoid complacency at Villa Park, however.
The winner of the tie will face either Arsenal or Real Madrid in the final four, most likely the former after their commanding 3-0 first leg victory.
Here is 90min’s guide to the crunch clash.
Aston Villa vs PSG head-to-head record (all games)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Aston Villa |
PSG |
|---|---|
|
Southampton 0-3 Aston Villa – 12/04/25 |
PSG 3-1 Aston Villa – 09/04/25 |
|
PSG 3-1 Aston Villa – 09/04/25 |
PSG 1-0 Angers – 05/04/25 |
|
Aston Villa 2-1 Nottingham Forest – 05/04/25 |
Dunkerque 2-4 PSG – 01/04/25 |
|
Brighton 0-3 Aston Villa – 02/04/25 |
Saint-Etienne 1-6 PSG – 29/03/25 |
|
Preston 0-3 Aston Villa – 30/03/25 |
PSG 3-1 Marseille – 16/03/25 |
|
Country |
TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
Amazon Prime Video |
|
United States |
Paramount+, ViX |
|
Canada |
DAZN Canada |
Villa could welcome Leon Bailey back into the fold on Tuesday night, with the winger having been absent since the Champions League round of 16 second leg victory over Club Brugge. Should the Jamaica international return, Emery will have an entirely fit squad against his former employers.
The Spanish coach did rest a few key names against the Saints at the weekend, with Ollie Watkins, Pau Torres, Lucas Digne, Boubacar Kamara and John McGinn among those who could be restored to the starting XI on Tuesday evening.
Marco Asensio, who missed two penalties at the weekend, is available to face his parent club.
Aston Villa predicted lineup vs PSG (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Kamara, Tielemans; Rogers, McGinn, Rashford; Watkins.
Enrique has his full cohort available to him for the trip to Villa Park and will even welcome skipper Marquinhos back into the starting lineup after he was suspended for the first leg in France. He will replace his counterpart Lucas Beraldo at centre-back.
The only alteration from the first leg could be Doue. The PSG winger scored against Villa in the first leg but faces stiff competition from Bradley Barcola, although his stunner at Parc des Princes means he’s likely to keep his place.
PSG predicted lineup vs Aston Villa (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes; Neves, Vitinha, Ruiz; Doue, Dembele, Kvaratskhelia.
PSG know they simply need to avoid defeat at Villa Park to progress to the semis and their victory at Anfield against Premier League leaders Liverpool in the previous round serves as an enormous warning to the Villans.
Villa will need an early goal to further galvanise the raucous Villa Park crowd but the counter-attacking threat of PSG will prove near impossible to stop. Emery’s men may not be handed another defeat, but they’re unlikely to make it to the last four.
