Unai Emery believes Aston Villa’s UEFA Super Cup meeting with Paris Saint-Germain is another opportunity to demonstrate how far the club have progressed during his time at Villa Park.
Villa face the Champions League holders in Salzburg on Wednesday after qualifying for the fixture by winning last season’s Europa League. It will be their first competitive match of the new campaign and another major European occasion for a club preparing for consecutive seasons in the Champions League.
A fresh report from AzerNews says Emery views the PSG meeting as an important opportunity for Villa to measure their development against elite opposition, rather than simply treating the Super Cup as an extension of pre-season.
Aston Villa PSG clash provides another measure of progress
The speed of Villa’s development under Emery is reflected by the calibre of their opening fixture.
When the Spaniard arrived in October 2022, Villa were struggling in the bottom half of the Premier League. They now enter a season as Europa League holders, Champions League qualifiers and one victory away from another European trophy.
Wednesday will also bring Villa back together with the side who eliminated them from the Champions League quarter-finals in 2025. Villa lost that tie 5-4 on aggregate after threatening a remarkable comeback at Villa Park, providing an early indication that Emery’s side could compete with Europe’s strongest clubs.
ReadAstonVilla has already looked at the predicted Villa line-up, injury situation and viewing information ahead of the PSG game, with Emery facing several decisions after a summer of significant squad change.
Villa have lost Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans and, most recently, Lucas Digne, while João Gomes, Johan Manzambi and other additions are part of a reshaped group.
That makes the Super Cup an unusually significant first competitive examination.
Emery has another chance to add to Aston Villa history
Villa have competed in the European Super Cup only once before.
After winning the European Cup in 1982, they defeated Barcelona 3-1 on aggregate to add another continental honour. UEFA confirms that Wednesday’s game will therefore be only Villa’s second appearance in the competition.
Emery has already delivered the club’s first major trophy for three decades after the Europa League triumph in May. Another victory would provide an immediate reminder that Villa’s ambitions have moved beyond simply qualifying for European competition.
PSG will provide the toughest possible examination. They arrive as Champions League holders and reigning Super Cup winners, having beaten Tottenham on penalties in last season’s edition.
For Villa, however, the occasion offers something beyond the trophy itself.
It is another opportunity to establish whether the rapid progress made under Emery can now be sustained against the very best teams in Europe.
