Aston Villa vs PSG will provide Unai Emery with one of the toughest tactical challenges in European football, with the Champions League holders carrying threats through almost every area of the pitch.
Paris Saint-Germain arrive in Salzburg after retaining the Champions League in May and have Ousmane Dembélé, Vitinha and Achraf Hakimi in their official Super Cup squad.
Villa proved they could hurt Luis Enrique’s side when the clubs met in the Champions League quarter-finals in 2025, but stopping PSG’s most influential players will be just as important on Wednesday.
Aston Villa vs PSG starts with stopping Vitinha
PSG’s attacking players attract most of the attention, but Vitinha remains central to how Luis Enrique’s side control matches.
UEFA describes Vitinha and João Neves as the midfield “metronomes” in PSG’s system, while the Portugal international was named player of the match when they beat Arsenal in May’s Champions League final. UEFA noted that Vitinha dictated the tempo and drove PSG forward.
That presents Villa with an obvious challenge.
Emery cannot allow PSG to settle into long spells of comfortable possession through midfield. Boubacar Kamara and João Gomes may therefore have important roles in restricting the spaces around Vitinha and preventing him from continually receiving possession facing forward.
ReadAstonVilla has already highlighted how Wednesday will measure Villa’s progress under Emery. Preventing PSG from controlling the rhythm would give Villa a much better chance of turning the game into the more unpredictable contest they would probably prefer.
Dembélé cannot be allowed space
Dembélé provides the obvious goal threat.
The France international equalised from the penalty spot in the Champions League final and ended that competition with six goals across his final four appearances.
His movement makes him particularly difficult to contain because PSG are not reliant on him remaining in one position. Dembélé can move across the front line, dragging defenders away before exploiting the spaces which appear.
Villa’s centre-backs will need to resist following him into areas where their defensive shape could become exposed.
Emery may instead ask Kamara to provide protection in front of the defence, particularly when PSG begin rotating Dembélé, Désiré Doué and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Hakimi gives Ian Maatsen a major test
Hakimi creates a different problem.
UEFA’s tactical assessment of PSG highlights how Hakimi is given the freedom to operate almost like an additional winger or midfielder rather than a conventional full-back.
That puts particular focus on Villa’s left side.
Lucas Digne’s departure leaves Ian Maatsen as the leading option there, and ReadAstonVilla explained on Monday why Villa still want another left-back.
Maatsen has the pace to compete with Hakimi, but he may need help from the winger ahead of him whenever PSG overload that flank.
Villa cannot remove every PSG threat.
If Emery can disrupt Vitinha, limit the spaces available to Dembélé and prevent Hakimi from repeatedly creating overloads, however, his side will have a much better chance of making Wednesday’s final uncomfortable for the European champions.
