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Red Bull Arena, Salzburg
Wednesday 12 August 2026, 20:00 BST
European football restarts in Salzburg on Wednesday night as Paris Saint-Germain, the Champions League holders, meet Europa League winners Aston Villa in the UEFA Super Cup. The neutral venue at the Red Bull Arena hosts a rematch of the 2024-25 Champions League quarter-final, a tie PSG edged after two chaotic legs.
Villa arrive as clear underdogs but have a manager who thrives in one-off European finals, and a summer of upheaval has reshaped both squads since they last met. This preview covers the run-in that brought each side here, the injury picture, the predicted lineups and our pick for how the trophy is decided.
PSG vs Aston Villa preview and form guide
PSG closed the 2025-26 campaign as one of the most decorated teams in the club's history, sealing a fifth straight Ligue 1 title with a game to spare and retaining the Champions League against Arsenal in Budapest.
The European defence was anything but smooth. Luis Enrique's side scraped through the league phase in 11th place, then needed a 5-4 aggregate win over Monaco in the play-off before hitting form, thrashing Chelsea 8-2 and Liverpool 4-0 over two legs on the way to the final.
The final itself went to penalties after a 1-1 draw, Ousmane Dembele levelling from the spot before PSG held their nerve in the shootout. That knockout run, rather than the patchy group stage, is the truest measure of how dangerous this team becomes when the stakes rise.
Pre-season has offered an early warning. The squad returned to training at Poissy on 27 July, and a much-changed, youthful PSG side lost 3-0 at Mallorca on 5 August, beaten by goals from Zito Luvumbo, Jan Virgili and Antonio Raillo with most of the World Cup contingent still absent.
Kvaratskhelia was one of the few senior names to start that night, and PSG followed it with a 1-1 draw against Manchester United in Gothenburg on 8 August, Ibrahim Mbaye striking early before Bryan Mbeumo levelled, leaving them without a pre-season win.
There was better news on 10 August, when PSG trained at full complement for the first time as the last of their World Cup contingent rejoined the group before the trip to Austria.
Aston Villa produced the finest season of the Unai Emery era, finishing fourth in the Premier League to return to the Champions League and lifting the Europa League with a 3-0 win over Freiburg in the Istanbul final.
Their defensive record was a genuine strength last season, the fifth-best in the Premier League, built on the organisation Emery drills into his teams, though that back line will look different in Salzburg.
The bigger concern for this final is continuity rather than quality. A summer of heavy sales has stripped out several of the players who defined that run, and a mixed pre-season included a 4-2 defeat to Real Sociedad.
Villa signed off their Asian tour with a 2-1 loss to Bayern Munich in Hong Kong on 7 August, beaten by Kim Min-jae and Luis Diaz before Joao Gomes pulled one back with a stunning long-range strike, a spirited finish that hinted at the attacking threat they will need against PSG.
Team news: PSG vs Aston Villa injuries and predicted XIs
Paris Saint-Germain
PSG have no injury concerns and named a full-strength squad, with Achraf Hakimi, Fabian Ruiz and Marquinhos all available. Ruiz and Marquinhos both featured against Manchester United, so any lingering questions about the World Cup contingent are about sharpness rather than availability.
The sale of Goncalo Ramos to AC Milan leaves Enrique short of an orthodox number nine, though Dembele filled that central role often last season and the front line is likely to be built around movement rather than a fixed target man. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, whose Georgia did not qualify, arrives with a full pre-season behind him and should lead the attack.
Dembele and Desire Doue give Enrique two more forwards who can drift inside and interchange, which suits a Super Cup where PSG will expect to dominate the ball. The bigger question is how much intensity the returning internationals can sustain.
PSG predicted XI (4-3-3): Matvey Safonov; Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes; Joao Neves, Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz; Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue.
Paris Saint-Germain
Aston Villa
Villa have been hit hard by rotation and injury. Emery has confirmed that Emiliano Martinez, Ezri Konsa and Ollie Watkins were given four weeks off after the World Cup and have not travelled to Salzburg, while Amadou Onana, Johan Manzambi and Leon Bailey are all sidelined.
Alejandro Garnacho and captain John McGinn both picked up knocks against BG Pathum United but are expected to feature, and Boubacar Kamara, who came through the last two friendlies and started against Bayern Munich, should anchor the midfield.
The summer exits of Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans leave Emery rebuilding the spine of his midfield and attack, so Gomes is likely to be handed early responsibility alongside Kamara.
With Watkins rested, Tammy Abraham is set to lead the line, and Garnacho offers a direct threat from the left after his loan move from Chelsea.
Aston Villa predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Marco Bizot; Matty Cash, Victor Lindelof, Pau Torres, Ian Maatsen; Joao Gomes, Boubacar Kamara; John McGinn, Emi Buendia, Alejandro Garnacho; Tammy Abraham.
Aston Villa
Head-to-head: PSG vs Aston Villa
These sides have met only twice, both in the 2024-25 Champions League quarter-final, and both games were open and high-scoring.
PSG won the first leg 3-1 at the Parc des Princes, with Doue, Kvaratskhelia and a late Nuno Mendes strike overturning Rogers' early opener.
Villa then won the return 3-2 at Villa Park, recovering from two goals down through Tielemans, John McGinn and Ezri Konsa, only for PSG to advance 5-4 on aggregate after Gianluigi Donnarumma made a string of late saves.
The tie is recent enough to matter and the storyline is clear: Villa can hurt this PSG side, but they could not stop it entirely across 180 minutes. Both squads have since changed, so the meetings are context rather than a form line.
Our PSG vs Aston Villa prediction and betting tips
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Adam is a freelance sports journalist with a decade of experience in the industry. Football is his passion, although he also follows darts and many other sports.
Adam supports Arsenal and local club Wealdstone, made famous by the Wealdstone Raider, who he has interviewed. Adam also follows the women's teams and the England national side.