Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa will face off in the UEFA Super Cup. It will be a matchup between the two most recent winners of European competitions: PSG, the reigning European champions, and Aston Villa, the Europa League winners.
Is the PSG the main favorite ?
It is difficult not to consider PSG the favorite. Just a few months after winning the Champions League, Paris is already back in a European final with an opportunity to begin its season with another trophy. Luis Enrique’s team also has the advantage of significant tactical continuity: the principles of play remain the same, and the squad knows its coach’s demands perfectly.
But this game is probably coming too early for PSG to be fully ready. Several players have only recently returned to training after taking part in the World Cup, and Luis Enrique himself acknowledged that his squad had very little time to work together. Some internationals only returned on Monday, barely two days before the game.
This is probably the main source of uncertainty on the Parisian side. PSG has more individual talent and better recent European momentum, but its collective level could be below what it showed at the end of last season.
This situation could push Luis Enrique to rely on existing automatisms rather than immediately searching for perfection. Pressing, possession and attacking rotations remain the foundations of Paris’ style, but their effectiveness will depend heavily on the players’ ability to quickly rediscover their positioning and habits.
Paris can nevertheless count on an almost fully available squad for this game, with Achraf Hakimi notably included in the group.
The question, therefore, will be whether PSG can compensate for its lack of preparation with its experience in major games.
Can Villa continue to rising ?
Aston Villa arrives with a very different story. The English club is coming off a successful European season and now intends to take another step forward under Unai Emery. This Super Cup represents an exceptional opportunity to measure the progress of the project against the European champions.
But the summer has been particularly turbulent in Birmingham.
Villa has lost several important players, notably Morgan Rogers, who was transferred to Chelsea for a fee that could reach £117 million, as well as Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne. Emery’s coaching staff has also undergone significant changes. Despite this, the Spanish manager refuses to view this period as a step backward.
On the contrary, Emery believes his team must continue moving forward. The departure of several key players is being presented as a consequence of the club’s progression: Aston Villa is now competitive enough to sell its best players for considerable fees and reinvest in its squad.
That confidence will be essential against PSG.
Villa has precisely the kind of weapons capable of causing Paris problems: a disciplined defensive organization, an ability to move the ball forward quickly and recent knowledge of its opponent. The two teams had already faced each other in the Champions League, with Villa winning at Villa Park after a spectacular comeback, although PSG ultimately eliminated the English side on aggregate.
Emery therefore knows exactly how difficult this matchup will be.
He will nevertheless have to work with a squad that is not yet completely settled. Some new signings and players returning from international competition have not yet regained their rhythm, which could force Villa to adopt a cautious approach during the opening minutes.
A final who could be decided by transition
Tactically, the matchup could ultimately come down to one question: who will control the tempo of the game?
PSG will naturally look to establish its possession game and pin Aston Villa inside its own half. Luis Enrique wants to control the ball while using the movement of his attacking players to create numerical advantages. The more effectively Paris can win the ball back immediately after losing it, the more Villa could struggle. But this desire to play high also represents an opportunity for Emery.
Aston Villa possesses the qualities needed to exploit the spaces left behind the Parisian press. If the English side can escape the first wave of pressure, it will be able to attack the spaces quickly and turn PSG’s turnovers into dangerous situations.
This is probably where the main key to the game lies.
Paris will have to avoid losing the ball in dangerous areas and keep enough players behind the ball to prevent Villa from launching its transitions. Emery, meanwhile, could accept periods of pressure while waiting for the perfect moment to accelerate. The opening half-hour will therefore be particularly important. If PSG scores early, Villa could be forced to abandon its cautious approach and leave more space for the Parisians.
Conversely, if Aston Villa withstands the pressure and keeps the score level, the pressure could gradually shift onto the shoulders of the favorite.
This Super Cup ultimately represents a clash between two teams arriving with very different certainties. Paris has the status, talent and recent experience of European finals. Villa, meanwhile, has a certain sense of freedom: after the changes made this summer, Emery wants to prove that his team can continue to grow despite the departures. PSG enters as the favorite, but this final could be much more balanced than the prestige of the two clubs might suggest.
A first European trophy of the season is at stake. And for Luis Enrique and Unai Emery, this Super Cup could already provide a first indication of what their teams will be capable of achieving in the months ahead.
Aston Villa