Matty Cash has described Paris Saint-Germain as “the best team in the world by a mile”, but insists Aston Villa are heading to Salzburg determined to finish last season’s work by lifting another European trophy.
Villa face the Champions League holders in Wednesday’s UEFA Super Cup after securing their place with a 3-0 Europa League final victory over Freiburg in May.
Cash believes the occasion represents another opportunity to underline how far Unai Emery’s side have progressed, even against opposition he regards as the strongest in Europe.
Speaking ahead of the final, the defender said: “It’s massive. The manager’s touched on it in recent days; the season is done, but you’ve still got the Super Cup, which is finishing off the work you did last season.”
Matty Cash sets Aston Villa challenge against PSG
Cash has no illusions about the scale of the task awaiting Villa.
“I think in football at the minute, they’re the best team in the world by a mile,” he said of PSG.
“Hopefully, we can give them a good game. When we played them in the Champions League, we gave them a right good test.”
Those previous meetings provide Villa with some encouragement. PSG progressed 5-4 on aggregate from their Champions League quarter-final in 2025, but Villa won the second leg 3-2 at Villa Park after pushing Luis Enrique’s side considerably harder than the final aggregate score suggested.
ReadAstonVilla highlighted earlier today the three PSG players Emery will need to contain, with Vitinha, Ousmane Dembélé and Achraf Hakimi among the major threats Villa will face in Salzburg.
Cash believes Villa’s development under Emery has created a mentality where simply appearing in major European matches is no longer enough.
“Since the manager came in, he’s implemented what it’s like to win and what you have to do to win,” he added.
“We set the bar high, competing in Europe and doing well in the league. The levels we’re setting, the demands we’re putting as a group, you have to be there.”
Villa are appearing in the Super Cup for only the second time in their history, having beaten Barcelona following their European Cup triumph in 1982. The club’s official build-up has also highlighted Wednesday as an opportunity to win the trophy for a second time.
For Cash and his team-mates, the focus is now on adding another piece of silverware to a period which has transformed expectations at Villa Park.
PSG may start as the benchmark, but Villa will travel believing they have already proved they can make life uncomfortable for Europe’s best.
