Unai Emery has won five Europa League titles but remains without a UEFA Super Cup victory, making Wednesday’s clash in Salzburg a significant personal milestone.
Villa face Champions League holders Paris St-Germain at the Red Bull Arena, with Emery attempting to end a three-match losing streak in the competition.
The Spaniard has previously suffered Super Cup defeats against Real Madrid and Barcelona during his time with Sevilla, and then lost on penalties to Chelsea in Dublin with Villarreal in 2021.
A 5-4 extra-time defeat to a Lionel Messi-inspired Barcelona in 2015 came just a year after Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice to hand Real Madrid the trophy.
Emery had already departed for PSG when Sevilla lost the 2016 Super Cup to Real, meaning Wednesday represents only his fourth attempt at lifting the trophy as a manager.
Captain John McGinn has been teasing his manager about the Chelsea defeat, with Emery acknowledging the competition carries genuine meaning for his ambitious side.
“Of course, it’s an opportunity. A trophy is something that can give us a special moment. To play for trophies is, as a professional, our objective,” said Emery.
“PSG are the favourites but I am looking forward to playing, how we can test this match against PSG with our capacity? As a coach, as a player, as a club, it’s a trophy.”
PSG midfielder Vitinha insisted the back-to-back Champions League winners remain hungry despite their sustained success, though he acknowledged their pre-season preparation has been brief.
“We’re still hungry for victories, trophies. It’s very difficult to maintain those levels but we’re still hungry,” said the Portugal international.
Defender Marquinhos echoed that sentiment, insisting PSG’s recent trophy hauls do not make future success any easier to achieve.
“Just because we’ve won things these past seasons, that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Personally, I want more, and each player in the squad is like that,” he said.
Wednesday’s match is a rematch of the Champions League quarter-final from the 2024-25 season, which produced one of the most dramatic European nights in Villa’s recent history.
Trailing 5-1 on aggregate in Birmingham, Villa recovered to win the second leg 3-2, eventually going out 5-4 on aggregate in a tie that underlined their status as genuine European contenders.
Vitinha acknowledged that encounter left a strong impression on the PSG squad, warning his side to expect another fierce test from Emery’s team.
“It was such a difficult test, especially the second half. We’ll be ready but we’re conscious of how difficult it’s going to be,” said the PSG midfielder.
Villa’s lineup will look strikingly different from that quarter-final, with Morgan Rogers, Lucas Digne and Youri Tielemans sold and Amadou Onana sidelined through injury until next year.
Emi Martinez, Ezri Konsa and Ollie Watkins have not travelled to Austria after representing their countries at the World Cup, with Emery granting them a month of rest.
McGinn remains a calming presence amid the upheaval and believes the club’s foundations are strong enough to absorb significant squad changes and continue competing at the highest level.
“We have a structure in place, standards and rules which have made us a success. I’m really excited about the new Aston Villa. A lot of people thought we reached a ceiling a couple of seasons ago and we proved them wrong,” said the skipper.
