Playing in their first-ever UEFA Champions League campaign, Aston Villa has had a brilliant season so far in the continental tournament. On Wednesday, they travel to Paris to take on French Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-final first leg. Incidentally Villa manager Unai Emery was in charge of the Paris side for two years. During his time there, he swept all the domestic cup competitions and won the league in his final year.
In the newly revamped group stage, the Premier League side finished eighth in the league phase. It also earned them a direct qualification to the round of 16 where they got the better of Club Brugge. At the moment, Emery's team are on a seven-match winning streak, which shows how high their confidence should be at the moment. They are also in the semi-finals of the FA Cup as well.
However, their poor away form could be a concern for Emery. Their last nine losses have been away from Villa Park. One of those losses was to Monaco, a team that plays in the same league as Villa's opponents on Wednesday. Their other loss in the league phase was also in an away match.
On the other hand, Paris had lost their home match in the round of 16 against another Premier League side, Liverpool. It should encourage Emery that a strong defense can cause issues for the recently crowned French champions. Nevertheless, Luis Enrique’s side has some quality attackers in Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué, and Warren Zaïre-Emery in their lineup.
One player who won’t be there for Paris despite being part of the group stages is Marco Asensio. The Spaniard signed for Villa in the January transfer window on loan from them. So far, he has been brilliant for Villa. The 29-year-old has found the back of the net eight times for the Clarets. He is not the only player who has been behind their good run.
Marcus Rashford has been another player who looks like he has found his mojo back after signing on loan from Manchester United. He was recalled to the England national team in the last international break. He came back to club football by scoring in back-to-back games as he opened his scoring for his new team. After back-to-back starts, he was on the bench against Nottingham Forest as they won 2-1. It could indicate that Emery wants Rashford to start the match. The 27-year-old has a good record history against PSG.
Even if the focus will be on those two, there are other players who will be important for the visitors. Morgan Rogers, John McGinn, and Ezri Konsa have all been brilliant for Villa and consistently strong throughout the season.
It will be a historic night for the English side in the Champions League. On paper, their opponent might be the stronger. But Aston Villa has shown in this season they can do a job against bigger sides. In their second match of the campaign, they defeated German giants Bayern Munich. Emery will be hoping his team can continue their dream run in the competition.