Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa will aim to inch closer to a spot in the UEFA Champions League semi-final when they face off in the quarter-final first leg on Wednesday.
The first leg clashes of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals will end on Wednesday. The action on the day will start and end with two simultaneous matches, including PSG vs Aston Villa at Parc des Princes.
Paris Saint-Germain had to take the scenic route to qualify for the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds. However, the Ligue 1 champions have been one of the most impressive teams in the world in the last few weeks. In addition, Luis Enrique’s men wrapped up the Ligue 1 title this past weekend. So, Les Parisiens can concentrate on winning the elusive Champions League title.
On the other hand, Aston Villa qualified for the UEFA Champions League quarter-final by beating Club Brugge 6-1 on aggregate in the round of 16. The Villans have improved in the last few weeks, and they are on a seven-match winning run. Those victories have taken the West Midlands outfit to the FA Cup semi-finals and seventh spot in the Premier League standings.
Wednesday’s clash will be the first-ever match between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the upcoming meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Paris Saint-Germain
Luis Enrique has a new roster issue that is hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Paris Saint-Germain manager will be bereft of the services of two first-team players vs Aston Villa on Wednesday.
Marquinhos is the most notable absentee, with the PSG captain serving a suspension due to the accumulation of yellow cards. The Brazilian international accompanies Lee Kang-in (ankle) on the sidelines.
Gianluigi Donnarumma will take his spot between the sticks, with PSG lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him vs Aston Villa on Wednesday. The backline should feature Achraf Hakimi, Lucas Beraldo, Willian Pacho, and Nuno Mendes.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Joao Neves, Vitinha, and Fabian Ruiz. Finally, Ousmane Dembele should lead the line for Paris Saint-Germain against Aston Villa, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Bradley Barcola being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Hakimi, Beraldo, Pacho, Nuno Mendes; Neves, Vitinha, Ruiz; Barcola, Dembele, Kvaratskhelia
Aston Villa
Unlike his counterpart in the Paris Saint-Germain dugout, Unai Emery has no new issues to worry about ahead of the trip to Parc des Princes. The Aston Villa manager will be without one first-team player on Wednesday.
Emery was sweating over Leon Bailey’s fitness due to a knock. However, the Jamaican international is fit and available, with Ross Barkley the only absentee for the away side as he continues recovering from a knee injury.
Emiliano Martinez is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Aston Villa lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs PSG on Wednesday. The backline should feature Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings, and Lucas Digne.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Boubacar Kamara and Youri Tielemans in the double pivot. John McGinn will likely reprise the no. 10 role, with Marco Asensio and Morgan Rogers completing the numbers behind Marcus Rashford. So, Ollie Watkins will be an option on the bench.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Martínez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne; Kamara, Tielemans; Asensio, McGinn, Rogers; Rashford
Key Stats
- Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa will meet for the first time in European competition, with Wednesday’s clash only the second UEFA Champions League quarter-final between French and English sides in the eight most recent seasons (Manchester City 1-3 Lyon in the only leg in 2019/20).
- Aston Villa have never won away to a French opponent in European competition (P5 D2 L3); the most they have travelled to one nation without winning. The last two outings have been defeats under Unai Emery, losing at LOSC Lille in April 2024 (1-2) and at AS Monaco in January this year (0-1).
- Unai Emery has won only two of his ten games against Luis Enrique as a manager (D1 L7), with both wins coming in home fixtures. Wednesday’s clash will be the first time they will face each other since the 2016/17 campaign when Enrique’s Barcelona came from 0-4 down in the first leg to eliminate Emery’s PSG side in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 (6-1 win in the second leg).
- Ousmane Dembele has netted seven goals in his last six UEFA Champions League games for PSG, one more than in his previous 36 appearances in the competition combined (6). However, six of those seven goals have come in away matches.
- Vitinha has completed 93% of his passes under high-intensity pressure in the UEFA Champions League this season (544/586); the highest completion rate of any midfielder in the competition (minimum 100 attempted). The Portuguese international also leads all players for line-breaking passes in the knockout stages of the current tournament (77).
Player to Watch
Marco Asensio
While Marcus Rashford, Ousmane Dembele, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Marco Asensio as the Player to Watch for Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa.
Asensio has scored three goals in two UEFA Champions League appearances for Aston Villa (both as a substitute) after failing to score in ten games for PSG in the competition. If he finds the back of the net in this game, the 2024/25 season will see his best-ever return in a single UEFA Champions League campaign (currently on three).
Meanwhile, the in-form Spaniard will have a point to prove in the two legs as he hopes to show the hosts the error in their ways. So, Asensio will be Unai Emery’s go-to man in Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League clash.
Prediction
Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 Aston Villa
Paris Saint-Germain might have clinched a win over Liverpool after an exceptional performance in two legs. However, they cannot take Aston Villa lightly, even though the away side’s stature is lower than the Reds.
But PSG’s home form is exceptional, while the Villans have not been consistent travellers. So, while Marco Asensio might deliver the goods in the final third, that might not be enough to win the first leg. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 victory for Luis Enrique and his charges.
