PSG vs Aston Villa
Aston Villa’s Champions League campaign faces a major roadblock. They will face PSG in the quarter-finals. The first leg will be at Parc des Princes, where visitors find it difficult to get something positive out of this 2024-25 campaign.
Besides trying to make it as far as possible in Europe, the Villans also face the gruelling battle of returning to the Premier League Top 4 and winning the FA Cup. However, Unai Emery’s men are in fine form, as they’re on a seven-game winning streak across all competitions.
On the other hand, PSG were recently named Ligue 1 champions for the fourth consecutive year with six matchdays to spare, and they are also through to the Coupe de France final. Because of this, Luis Enrique’s side feels confident about their chances of winning this tie.
This should be one of the most entertaining quarter-final ties, and SBOTOP is here for the preview.
Talking Points
Fresher legs for PSG
After losing to Borussia Dortmund in last year’s semi-finals and Bayern Munich in the 2020 final, PSG are laser-focused on winning the elusive Champions League trophy this season, and they’re on their way.
PSG outlasted Liverpool in the previous round. After losing the first leg by one goal, the Parisiens took the tie to the penalty shootout and won 4-1 to advance to the final four. Since then, Luis Enrique’s men completed their four-peat in Ligue 1 with wins against Marseille (3-1), Saint-Etienne (6-1), and Angers (1-0). PSG have the youngest average starting XI still standing in the Champions League.
Enrique rotated his squad against Angers by benching Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, Bradley Barcola, and Ousmane Dembele, so they should have fresh legs against Aston Villa. Dembele is arguably their most dangerous player with 21 league goals and five assists this term. The French winger has scored seven goals in his last six Champions League appearances.
Marquinhos and Lee Kang-In are the notable absentees for PSG in the first leg. Marquinhos must serve his one-match ban after accruing his third yellow card against Liverpool, and Lee Kang-In has an ankle injury sustained during the March international break.
Aston Villa have strength in numbers
Despite losing super sub Jhon Duran to Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr last winter transfer window, Aston Villa got better with the acquisitions of Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio, and Donyell Malen. Asensio aims to show his mother club what they’ve been missing, as he has eight goal contributions from his first 11 appearances for the Villans.
After eliminating Club Brugge in the Round of 16, the Villans confirmed their passage to the FA Cup semi-finals with a 3-0 win over Preston Road, and they secured league victories against Brighton (3-0) and Nottingham Forest (2-1).
Unai Emery has an almost full squad against his former employers, with Ross Barkley and Leon Bailey listed as questionable to play.
History
Wednesday marks the first competitive European meeting between PSG and Aston Villa. This is only the second Champions League quarter-final between French and English teams in the last eight campaigns. Manchester City vs Lyon was the previous such tie in 2019-20.
Aston Villa have never beaten a French side in an away European contest (D2, L3), their most away to teams from one nation without winning. The last two are losses under Unai Emery, losing 2-1 at Lille in April 2024 and 1-0 at AS Monaco last January. Unai Emery has won only two of his 10 matches against Luis Enrique as a manager (D1, L7).
The Villans are the fourth English side PSG have faced in the Champions League this season. Before this quarter-final tie, the Parisiens lost to Arsenal on the second matchday of the league phase, won against Manchester City on the seventh matchday, and eliminated Liverpool in the Round of 16.
Betting Tip
The Champions League 2025 odds back the hosts to win the first leg of this quarter-final tie. PSG are 1.36 favourites to win, whereas Aston Villa are huge 6.60 underdogs, and a draw is at 4.63 in the 1X2 market. Despite this, there’s still hope for Aston Villa if they keep it close.
Besides our recommended bet, bettors can choose alternatives like Over 2.75 at 1.68, Over 3.00 at 1.88, and Over 3.25 at 2.14 – with Total Goal 2-3 at 2.16 being the more conservative bet – since PSG and Aston Villa are expected to create new Champions League 2025 highlights this Wednesday. Moreover, a Correct Score of 2-1 in favour of PSG is valued at 7.70 your bet.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT)
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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