Paris Saint-Germain will face Aston Villa in the UEFA Super Cup at Salzburg Stadium in Austria on Wednesday, August 12, at 9pm local time (19:00 GMT). The match brings together the latest Champions League and Europa League winners.
PSG are seeking to retain the trophy after beating Tottenham in a penalty shootout last year, while Villa begin a new European campaign after winning the Europa League. Al Jazeera will provide build-up from 16:00 GMT.
How the teams are shaping up
PSG’s players returned to preseason training at different times depending on their World Cup involvement. Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele, France teammates Desire Doue and Bradley Barcola, and Spain midfielder Fabian Ruiz returned on Monday. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has trained for longer because Georgia did not qualify for the tournament.
Kvaratskhelia is expected to start on the left, with new signing Maghnes Akliouche a possible choice on the right. Barcola has been linked with a move to Liverpool. PSG’s fitness doubts include Barcola, Dembele, Doue, Ruiz, Achraf Hakimi, Lucas Hernandez and Warren Zaire-Emery.
Related coverage: Lee Kang-In joins Atletico Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain on long-term deal.
Villa have lost midfielders Morgan Rogers to Chelsea and Youri Tielemans to Manchester United, as well as left-back Lucas Digne, who joined PSG on Sunday for a reported fee of 10 million euros ($11.6m). Swiss midfielder Johan Manzambi and Brazilian midfielder Joao Gomes are among Villa’s new signings; Manzambi is out with a knee injury.
- PSG predicted lineup: Safonov; Zabarnyi, Marquinhos, Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes; Joao Neves, Vitinha, Dro Fernandez; Mbaye, Mayulu, Kvaratskhelia.
- Aston Villa predicted lineup: Bizot; Cash, Lindelof, Pau Torres, Maatsen; Joao Gomes, Kamara; McGinn, Buendía, Garnacho; Abraham.
- Villa absentees and doubts include Leon Bailey, Amadou Onana, Alejandro Garnacho, John McGinn, Emiliano Konsa, Emiliano Martinez and Ollie Watkins.
The clubs’ recent meeting
Aston Villa won 3-2 when the teams met in the second leg of last season’s Champions League matchup. PSG advanced after taking a 3-1 advantage from the first match. Those two fixtures were the only previous meetings between the clubs.
What is at stake in Salzburg
Victory would give PSG a chance to become only the second team in the modern era to retain the UEFA Super Cup, after Real Madrid won it in 2016 and 2017. PSG are aiming to become the fourth team overall to retain the trophy.
The Opta supercomputer’s 10,000 pre-match simulations gave PSG a 45 percent chance of winning in 90 minutes. Villa’s chance of a normal-time victory was 29.6 percent, while the draw, including extra time and possible penalties, accounted for 25.5 percent.
The match will be refereed by Omar Artan of Somalia. He was barred by the United States from officiating at the World Cup shortly before the tournament after US officials raised vetting concerns and alleged connections to terrorist organisations without providing proof. UEFA subsequently selected him for the Super Cup.
No comments yet. Start the discussion.