Aston Villa v PSG: Line-ups, stats and preview

PSG are in the quarter-finals for the fourth time in six seasons

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Aston Villa v PSG match preview

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery expects the atmosphere at Villa Park on Tuesday to be “very, very special” when the Premier League side face the daunting task of overcoming a two-goal deficit against a feared Paris Saint-Germain team who won at English leaders Liverpool in the previous round.

The Villans took a 35th-minute lead in Paris through Morgan Rogers, but their advantage lasted less than five minutes and PSG were ahead by the 49th as Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored in quick succession.

Nuno Mendes’ 92nd-minute goal means Villa will start the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final 3-1 behind, but they have won four and drawn one of their home matches in this season’s competition, keeping four clean sheets and winning by at least two goals on three occasions.

“It’s going to be difficult, but we have to feel strong at home and try to prepare as best as possible,” said Emery, calling the decider a “possibility and opportunity”.

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“[We have to] try to transmit our energy, to get the supporters’ energy and then play the best football. When we are playing this [season our] best football, we can [overcome challenges].”

Luis Enrique celebrated his 100th match in charge of PSG in the first leg, and the Spaniard was particularly pleased with his players’ response to falling behind, which he described as a “particularly difficult moment for our confidence”.

“It was kind of a moment of doubt… the team showed personality and character,” added the 54-year-old, who won the 2014/15 Champions League with Barcelona.

“We always say that when you play a match of this importance, you have to control your emotions. It’s important because these games have ups and downs.”

Aston Villa v Paris Saint-Germain team news

Leon Bailey missed Villa’s 3-0 win at Southampton on Saturday – their fourth straight league victory – after a late fitness test, but Emery is hopeful the winger will be available against PSG.

Widemen Andres Garcia and Donyell Malen both came on against the Saints but will drop out of the matchday squad because they have not been included in the club’s European squad list.

PSG were not in action at the weekend and the early Ligue 1 winners have a full squad to choose from as they attempt to reach the final for a second consecutive campaign.

Fabian Ruiz must avoid a booking if the Spain midfielder is to be available for a potential semi-final first leg.

Aston Villa v Paris St-Germain expected line-ups

Aston Villa starting XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne; Kamara, Tielemans; Rogers, McGinn, Rashford; Watkins

PSG starting XI: Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Nuno Mendes; Joao Neves, Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz; Doue, Dembele, Kvaratskhelia

How to watch Villa v PSG: Live stream, TV channel

Kick-off on Tuesday is at 20:00, with live coverage in the UK on Amazon Prime Video. Live streaming on a wide variety of devices is available through the Prime Video app.

Prime Video is included with a Prime Membership, which costs £8.99 per month or £95 per year in the UK and allows access to thousands of films and shows, including an increasing amount of sports content.

A 30-day free trial is available, and subscribers can sign up to Prime Video on its own for £5.99 per month.

Ousmane Dembele scores for Paris Saint-Germain against Liverpool

Aston Villa v PSG stats

  • In 10 of the last 12 Aston Villa matches the sum of goals was over 2.5
  • Aston Villa have won 7 of the last 9 matches while scoring more than 1.5 goals
  • Aston Villa have won the last 4 home matches in a row while scoring more than 1.5 goals
  • In 9 of the last 11 Aston Villa home matches the sum of goals was under 3.5
  • Aston Villa have won 5 of the last 6 matches and the sum of goals was over 2.5
  • Paris Saint-Germain have won 15 of the last 16 away matches while scoring more than 1.5 goals
  • Paris Saint-Germain have won the last 6 away matches in a row and the sum of goals was over 4.5
  • Paris Saint-Germain have won 10 of the last 12 matches while scoring more than 2.5 goals
  • Paris Saint-Germain have won 14 of the last 16 away matches and the sum of goals was over 2.5
  • Paris Saint-Germain have won the last 5 away matches in a row while scoring more than 3.5 goals

Aston Villa v PSG prediction

Villa have been in excellent home form in their debut campaign in the modern Champions League and there is a precedent for achieving their second-leg mission: Arsenal won 2-0 at home to PSG on Matchday 2 on October 1, scoring both of their goals by the 36th minute.

PSG lost their subsequent Champions League away game 1-0 at Bayern Munich but have been in serene form on the road since then, thrashing Salzburg, Stuttgart and Brest before edging past the team with by far the best home record in the Premier League when they won 1-0 at Liverpool before prevailing on penalties.

They have had three extra days’ rest and will go through if they repeat the defensive resolve they showed at Anfield, although Villa, who have scored at least twice in 10 of their last 12 games in all competitions, are likely to attack aggressively from the outset.

The extra risks Villa will take could result in a high-scoring draw, with two goals apiece sending PSG through.

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