Aston Villa travel to face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday as they look to reach the final four for the first time in 43 years.
Villa have not progressed past the quarter-finals since their European Cup win in 1982, while PSG have reached at least the semi-finals in three of the last five seasons. The Premier League side are clear underdogs but are not to be counted out.
Unai Emery’s men have won seven of their 10 Champions League clashes so far this season and taken points from Bayern Munich and Juventus. They also bolstered their squad in January by bringing in Marco Asensio on loan from none other than Paris Saint-Germain, and the Spaniard has settled in beautifully.
After scoring twice in 16 appearances for the Parisians this season, the goals have started flowing again for Asensio at Aston Villa. He has racked up eight in just 11 games and will surely head to the Parc des Princes with a point to prove, as he is eligible to face his parent club.
However, the longer-serving members of Luis Enrique’s squad will be warning their teammates about another loanee at Villa who has burned them before.
Marcus Rashford is a villain in PSG’s Champions League history
Marcus Rashford knows all about defying the odds against PSG in the Champions League. After Manchester United lost 2-0 to the French side at Old Trafford in the first leg of their round of 16 tie in 2019, progress to the quarter-finals seemed a lost cause.
However, the then-21-year-old had other ideas. After Romelu Lukaku’s two goals and another for PSG from Juan Bernat, the tie stood at 3-2 on aggregate in the second leg, but this was still in the days of away goals. In the dying moments, Rashford stayed ice-cold to dispatch a penalty and take United through.
It was the first time a team had overturned a two-goal deficit away from home in the Champions League. Rashford’s penchant for causing PSG pain doesn’t end there, though – in the group stages in 2020, he scored a late winner that inflicted one of their only two defeats in the competition that season.
The Parc des Princes has been a happy hunting ground for him, and PSG will need to be wary of his contributions to Villa’s build-up play.
Manchester United loanee is shining creatively at Villa Park
Rashford hasn’t matched his fellow loan player Asensio in terms of goals, scoring three times, but his assist numbers show that the forward is finding his feet again creatively.
He has registered four assists already under Unai Emery in 12 games, compared to six in 43 appearances for Manchester United last season.
In the Premier League, Rashford’s creative stats at Villa surpass plenty of his teammates. Though there is only a small sample size to draw on, the figures show just how much he’s been contributing to their attack.
| Goal-creating actions per 90 minutes | Shot-creating actions per 90 minutes | |
| Leon Bailey | 0.32 | 3.01 |
| Youri Tielemans | 0.34 | 3.37 |
| Ollie Watkins | 0.42 | 1.89 |
| Morgan Rogers | 0.39 | 3.12 |
| Marcus Rashford | 0.92 | 6.10 |
Another stat PSG fans won’t want to hear: already, Rashford has already assisted Asensio four times. The duo could combine to haunt PSG on Wednesday night.
The post Marco Asensio will return to haunt PSG – but they should really fear Aston Villa ace who’s stung them before appeared first on HITC.
