Liverpool’s Champions League conquerors Paris Saint-Germain return to European action on Wednesday with another clash against an English side.
It’s Aston Villa, making their first bout in the last eight of competition since it was champions in 1982, that stands in the Parisian’s way, as Unai Emery makes a return to his former club. The Spaniard was memorably the manager who oversaw the catastrophic collapse against Barcelona in the 2017 last-16, when PSG lost the second leg 6-1 and had its four-goal advantage overturned.
Emery will hope to exorcise some demons at the Parc des Princes in a Champions League campaign that has already produced several outstanding displays from Villa. Victories over Bayern Munich, Celtic and Club Brugge at Villa Park will live long in the memory for fans, but a trip to the French capital will be a different prospect, as Liverpool knows well.
The Reds were battered for the vast majority of its last-16 first-leg tie at PSG, yet somehow managed to escape with a 1-0 win thanks to Harvey Elliott’s late goal on the break. But the Ligue 1 champions reversed that scoreline at Anfield a week later and earned victory via a penalty shootout to earn a spot in the quarter-finals.
For Villa, it beat Brugge 6-1 on aggregate in the previous round. The Villans have tended to rise to the big occasion in the Champions League this season, beating Bayern, RB Leipzig and Celtic in the league phase and securing a top-eight finish.
Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has been key to the team’s success this season and in recent years, but has already irritated PSG fans ahead of the game with his controversial choice of headwear. The ex- Arsenal man wore a cap when travelling to Paris showing his four triumphs for Argentina, including the 2022 World Cup victory over France, along with a rooster, the symbol on the French national badge.
The stopper drew criticism for mocking France and Kylian Mbappe in the aftermath of the win in Qatar and was met with an intimidating atmosphere on his last journey to the country when Villa played Lille in the Europa Conference League last season, a game in which Martinez was shown two yellow cards.
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“He [Martinez] is a good guy, he’s humble, a very good professional,” Emery said ahead of the game. “I think he is really happy with his teammates, he is being demanding of himself. He is playing free, comfortable and this is the most important. There is still work to do, there is still a process to do but the most important thing is how he is feeling. We are seeing him smiling and that is the best news we can have.”
It will be intriguing to see what sort of reception Martinez receives at the Parc des Princes. Fans can find out by tuning in to watch the game on NBC in the US, with the match also streamed via Paramount +. In the UK, the quarter-final will be broadcast on TNT Sports and can be streamed on the Discover + app.
In the build-up to the game, Luis Enrique claimed Emery is one of the “top managers” on the planet and rejected suggestions his side are favorites to win over two legs.
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“Against Liverpool, bookmakers said we had no chance. In soccer, favourites do not exist,” said the former Barcelona coach.”There are eight teams that are in quarter-finals because they deserve it. We will need to do what we have to do and that we deserve to win on the field.”
“Aston Villa are a team that look like us, with many versatile players. It’s difficult to know who is going to play, especially after their winter transfer window where they have strengthened in a good way. It will be an open and difficult tie for both teams.”
Ross Barkley and Leon Bailey are the only injury concerns for Villa, with both players doubts. As for PSG, Marquinhos is missing through suspension while Lee Kang-in could miss out through injury.
