Unai Emery Leads Aston Villa Against Paris Saint-Germain in UEFA Super Cup in Salzburg

Aston Villa will face Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday 12 August 2026 in Salzburg, with Villa approaching the match after lifting the UEFA Europa League trophy in May and ending a 30-year wait for major silverware last season.

“I feel like the club is in a new era, with this possibility to fight for trophies”

UEFA

Unai Emery told UEFA that “I feel like the club is in a new era, with this possibility to fight for trophies,” as he framed the Super Cup as another chance to win and to play “against Paris Saint-Germain – the [best] team in the world now.”

Al Jazeera

Emery also said Villa’s belief was shaped by their Champions League quarter-final against PSG, reflecting that “In Paris, we lost 3-1, and we played a good match but we were not protagonists like in the second match.”

The match is set against a PSG side that, in the Sky Sports account, had previously held off a late surge from Aston Villa in a nine-goal thriller on aggregate to progress to the Champions League semi-final on April 15, 2025, and then returned to the Super Cup after winning the Champions League again last season.

As the Super Cup approaches, Emery is preparing for a depleted Villa squad after a summer of exits, with Reuters saying Villa will be without Ezri Konsa, Ollie Watkins and Emiliano Martinez because they are unavailable after the World Cup.

Emery told reporters in Salzburg, “We are not stopping here,” and he added that “The effort is not changing. The club is making a really huge effort,” as he insisted the club’s ambitions remain unchanged despite the transfer window.

Aston Villa Review

Luis Enrique, in Sky Sports’ recounting of PSG’s earlier meetings with Villa, said, “We were really suffering. I do not think this team has been dominated in this way.”

Sky Sports also described PSG’s squad continuity and depth after that Champions League run, while Reuters tied Villa’s preparations to injuries and rest, including midfielder Amadou Onana and new signing Johan Manzambi being unavailable.

The Super Cup carries financial stakes in the Aston Villa Review preview, which said Villa will be paid £3.4 million for participating and that the figure will rise beyond £4 million if they leave Austria as the winners.

“Villa will be paid £3.4 million for participating in the Super Cup”

Aston Villa Review

That same preview framed the match as a test in Salzburg against PSG, noting that Villa are competing in their second Super Cup appearance after their 1983 triumph against Barcelona, while PSG are back-to-back Champions League winners.

In the UEFA Super Cup build-up, Al Jazeera listed the match at Salzburg Stadium in Austria on Wednesday, August 12 at 9pm (19:00 GMT), and said the annual fixture offers PSG the chance to become the second team in the modern era to retain the Super Cup after Real Madrid.

Reuters reported that Villa secured their place in the curtain-raiser by beating Freiburg 3-0 in the Europa League final in May, and it said Emery is seeking his first Super Cup title after three previous unsuccessful attempts as PSG coach Luis Enrique looks to retain the trophy.