Two-time defending European champions Paris Saint-Germain face Aston Villa in the UEFA Super Cup in Salzburg on Wednesday, as they look to get back into competitive action with a strong performance in defence of their Super Cup title.
Last season, PSG won a dramatic Super Cup on penalties, as they found themselves 2-0 down against Tottenham Hotspur, before a rally led by late goals by Lee Kang-In and Gonçalo Ramos brought them back on level terms, before they then won in a penalty shootout.
PSG are back in the Super Cup after winning a second UEFA Champions League title in a row. The second title came after a win against Spurs' North London rivals Arsenal, who the French champions beat in a penalty shootout in Budapest in May.
Aston Villa are in the Super Cup for the first time in 44 years, having won it in their only previous appearance in 1982. They are in the Super Cup this season, courtesy of a dominant Europa League win last season. They beat Freiburg 3-0 in the final, with goals from Youri Tielemans, Emiliano Buendía, and Morgan Rogers. Tielemans and Rogers have now moved on, as Unai Emery's side begin a new era.
Here's everything you need to know about the match.
How to watch:
The match will be available to watch on TNT Sports 1 and HBO Max in the U.K., Paramount+ in the U.S.A., SonyLiv in India, and Stan Sport in Australia. You can also follow ESPN's live updates here.
Key Details:
Date, kick-off time:
UK BST: Wednesday, August 12, 8:00 p.m.
U.S. ET: Wednesday, August 12, 3:00 p.m.
India IST: Thursday, August 13, 12:30 a.m.
Australia AEST: Thursday, August 13, 5:00 a.m.
Venue: Red Bull Arena, Salzburg.
Referee: Omar Artan (Somalia)
Predicted XIs:
PSG
Matvei Safonov
Achraf Hakimi | Marquinhos | Willian Pacho | Nuno Mendes
Warren Zaïre-Emery | João Neves | Vitinha
Ibrahim Mbaye | Ousmane Dembélé | Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Aston Villa
Marco Bizot
Matty Cash | Victor Lindelöf | Pau Torres | Ian Maatsen
George Hemmings | Boubacar Kamara | João Gomes | Emiliano Buendia
Evann Guessand | Ollie Watkins
Talking Points:
PSG look to lay down a marker
The Super Cup isn't always a sign of things to come in the season ahead, but it is always a trophy that teams want to win. It is a nice bonus on top of existing European success, which is why they got here in the first place. For Luis Enrique, he'll have some juggling to do with his squad. His French World Cup squad members, like Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola, Désiré Doué and Lucas Digne only joined returned for pre-season training on Monday, so how Enrique manages their minutes will be interesting to see.
The likes of Joao Neves, Vitinha, Nuno Mendes and Achraf Hakimi all played some minutes against Manchester United in their last pre-season friendly, which they drew 1-1, and they will look to step up their preparations by starting in this game, and perhaps playing more minutes as well.
Can Villa deal with crucial departures?
Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers are outstanding footballers, and Villa will have to do without them now, with Tielemans having gone to Manchester United and Rogers Chelsea. Swiss midfield Johan Manzambi isn't yet available, as he continues his recovery from an injury. Captain John McGinn is not available for this game either.
Ezri Konsa and Ollie Watkins have just joined pre-season training for Villa, so there is some upheaval for Emery to deal with before a huge game for the club. Without the entire squad gaining full fitness, it's not wise to draw final conclusions from this game, but if Villa can pull off the win with so much happening around their squad, that will set them up nicely for the rest of the season.