Having knocked Liverpool out of the last round of the Champions League, PSG turn their attentions to another English side in the quarter-finals on Wednesday.
Aston Villa have been the revelation of the competition so far, finishing eighth in the group stage by beating the likes of Bayern Munich. They will face 15th-placed PSG in full confidence, entering the match on a seven-match winning run in all competitions.
They beat third-placed Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday, boosting their qualification hopes for next season’s Champions League. Sitting sixth, just two points off fourth-placed Chelsea, sees them in a strong position as the season reaches its climax.
Villa face a PSG side that has cantered to the French Ligue 1 title yet again. Twenty-two points ahead of Olympique Marseille, they were crowned champions last weekend by beating Angers.
They are on a six-match winning streak in all competitions, but they only eliminated Liverpool on penalties, which will give Villa heart. At the same time, Villa comfortably dispatched Belgian side Club Brugge 6-1 on aggregate.
PSG VS ASTON VILLA PREVIEW
This is the first time PSG and Aston Villa have met in European competition so there is no previous form. However, the timing has never been better for Villa to get a result. They are on a seven-match unbeaten run and also have an FA Cup semi-final to look forward to.
Villa also have very few injury worries. Ross Barkley and Leon Bailey are both back in training and could feature from the bench in the French capital. Barkley has been out since January, with Bailey proving to be the man of the match in Villa’s last-16 success against Club Brugge.
Marco Asensio will also be available despite being on loan from PSG. This is a huge boost for Villa as the attacking midfielder has netted eight times in 11 games for the Villans.
Kang-in Lee is the only player missing for PSG, so they too will have a strong side.
Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola and Joao Neves were amongst the names who did not feature against Angers last weekend and will be fresh for this game.
PSG VS ASTON VILLA – PREDICTIONS
PSG Win
The French side will be buoyant after claiming the Ligue 1 title at the weekend and will have their whole focus on this match. They will rotate their squad so many big names will be fresh for this fixture. Their home record is also exceptionally strong.
Draw
Villa would be happy to take a draw back to Villa Park and they may go to Paris with this in mind. Both sides are at full strength so they can play the tactics they want to play.
Aston Villa Win
Liverpool secured a 1-0 win at the Parc de Princes last month, so PSG are not unbeatable at home. Villa have already beaten the likes of Bayern Munich in this competition and so could surprise. Villa have won all of their last four away games, including 3-1 against Club Brugge in the last-16 of the Champions League. They have scored three goals in three of these four wins too.
PSG VS ASTON VILLA – BETTING TIPS
PSG Win
It’s hard to look past PSG as momentum is on their side. They’ve just won Ligue 1, meaning they can turn their full attention to the Champions League. They also knocked favourites Liverpool out in the last round.
Both Teams To Score
Aston Villa have scored 11 goals in their last four matches in all competitions and are expected to go to the Parc de Princes and give it a go. They have also scored 10 goals in their last four away wins. Meanwhile, PSG have scored 80 goals in the French league this season so are also not shy when it comes to finding the net. Both teams have scored in three of PSG’s last four games.
Ousmane Dembele To Score
The French forward is in very good form, having netted against Liverpool, Marseille, Rennes and Dunkerque of late. He is Ligue 1’s top scorer with 21 goals, five more than Marseille’s Mason Greenwood, while he has seven in the Champions League too. These were scored in his last six Champions League appearances for PSG.
HEAD-TO-HEAD AND KEY STATS
- There have been no previous meetings between the two sides.
- Aston Villa have never won on French soil against French opponents in European competition (D2 L3).
- PSG have won all of their last six matches.
- Aston Villa are unbeaten in seven matches in all competitions.
- Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has been victorious in just two of his 10 games against Luis Enrique as a manager (D1 L7). Both wins have come in home fixtures.
