Paris Saint-Germain face Aston Villa in the UEFA Super Cup in Salzburg on Wednesday, with the Champions League holders aiming to retain the trophy and become only the second team in the modern era to do so. Kick-off is at 9:00pm local time in Salzburg, 1:00am BST on Thursday, 13 August.
The annual meeting between the Champions League and Europa League winners gives PSG a chance to become only the second team in the modern era to retain the Super Cup. Real Madrid achieved that feat in 2016 and 2017.
PSG won the trophy last year after recovering from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Tottenham Hotspur before winning the penalty shootout 4-3.
Luis Enrique’s side arrive with one obvious problem: preparation.
PSG had 15 players at the World Cup, including Spain midfielder Fabian Ruiz and five members of France’s semi-final squad. Several internationals only returned to training days before the Super Cup.
Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, Bradley Barcola and Ruiz returned on Monday. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who missed the World Cup because Georgia failed to qualify, has trained for longer and could carry much of PSG’s attacking threat.
Enrique has already warned that PSG cannot produce their best football yet.
“Some of our players have barely trained,” the manager said. “In terms of a top-level game tomorrow, it will be difficult to see that.”
PSG also endured a mixed pre-season. They lost 3-0 to Mallorca before drawing 1-1 with Manchester United.
Villa face a different challenge. Unai Emery has spent the summer rebuilding his squad after several major departures.
Morgan Rogers joined Chelsea for £117m, while Youri Tielemans moved to Manchester United for £35m. Lucas Digne also returned to PSG for a reported €10m.
Villa have added Johan Manzambi and Joao Gomes, although Manzambi will miss the match with a knee injury. The club also remain without Ollie Watkins, Ezri Konsa and Emiliano Martínez after Emery gave the World Cup trio additional rest.
That leaves Villa with less experience but potentially more match fitness.
Their pre-season has produced three defeats in five games, including losses against Porto, Real Sociedad and Bayern Munich. They beat an Indonesia All-Star side and Thailand’s Pathum United.
Villa can draw confidence from their last competitive meeting with PSG. Emery’s side beat PSG 3-2 at Villa Park in last season’s Champions League quarter-final second leg, although PSG progressed 5-4 on aggregate.
Emery knows PSG better than most. He managed the French club for two seasons and now wants Villa to prove their recent European rise can survive a major summer overhaul.
Around 6,000 Villa supporters will travel to Salzburg, adding another edge to the contest.
Probable starting XI:
Aston Villa: Marco Bizot, Matty Cash, Lindelöf, Pau Torres, Ian Maatsen, Boubacar Kamara, João Gomes, John McGinn, Emiliano Buendía, Alejandro Garnacho and Tammy Abraham.
PSG: Matvey Safonov, Illia Zabarnyi, Marquinhos, Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes, João Neves, Vitinha, Fabián Ruiz, Ibrahim Mbaye, Senny Mayulu and Kvaratskhelia.
The Super Cup also has a simple finish. If the match remains level after 90 minutes, UEFA sends it straight to a penalty shootout, with no extra time.
