PSG Face Aston Villa in Epic UEFA Super Cup Showdown: Key Predictions, Tactics, and Starting Lineups Revealed

Red Bull Arena in Salzburg will host the 2026 UEFA Super Cup, with Champions League champions Paris Saint-Germain squaring off against Europa League winners Aston Villa.

PSG are making their second straight appearance in this fixture, having secured consecutive Champions League titles. Following a dominant 5–0 victory over Inter Milan in last season's final, Luis Enrique's squad were pushed to a penalty shootout by Tottenham Hotspur in the Super Cup, despite trailing 2–0 as late as the 85th minute.

PSG came through on spot kicks, and now they're looking to overcome yet another Premier League side with a trophy at stake.

The Parisians were given a serious test by Villa en route to Champions League glory in 2025, scraping through against Unai Emery's side 5–4 on aggregate in an enthralling quarterfinal encounter.

The European champions are expected to enter this match somewhat underprepared, with many of their key players only recently returning from deep World Cup runs. Villa, on the other hand, have been hit by midfield departures and injuries, but have logged considerably more preseason minutes than their upcoming rivals.

PSG vs. Aston Villa Prediction

Parisians Shake Off Rust

PSG found themselves in a comparable situation ahead of last year's Super Cup. They were well below their best against Thomas Frank's Spurs, yet still managed to claw back from two goals down and triumph on penalties.

Numerous players are only now returning for preseason preparations, with the Parisians having played just two matches this summer. After a 3–0 defeat to Mallorca, they settled for a 1–1 draw with Manchester United.

Villa, by contrast, have played six friendlies and completed a tour of the Far East. In their most notable preseason outings, Emery's side have suffered defeats against Porto, Real Sociedad, and Bayern Munich.

It's evident that neither side will be anywhere close to peak form in Salzburg, which could make for a lower-quality but potentially unpredictable Super Cup.

Prediction: PSG 3–2 Aston Villa

PSG Predicted Lineup vs. Aston Villa

Enrique's squad for the Super Cup is stacked with PSG's top talent. A number of players have returned from their post-World Cup breaks ahead of the match, though they are unlikely to be named in the starting eleven on Wednesday.

Fabián Ruiz, Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué, Warren Zaïre-Emery, Lucas Hernández, and Achraf Hakimi have all yet to feature in preseason. João Neves, Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, and Marquinhos have each made just one appearance.

PSG have no injury concerns, and Enrique has also included Bradley Barcola in his traveling squad despite reported interest from Liverpool.

Fans may also get their first look at new recruit Maghnes Akliouche and the returning Lucas Digne.

PSG predicted lineup vs. Aston Villa (4-3-3): Safonov; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes; Vitinha, Neves, Fernández; Mbaye, Mayulu, Kvaratskhelia.

Aston Villa Predicted Lineup vs. PSG

A squad of 23 players is making the trip to Salzburg, including summer signings Alejandro Garnacho and João Gomes.

Fellow new arrival and Swiss international Johan Manzambi has yet to recover from a knee problem that affected him during the World Cup.

Leon Bailey is sidelined with a muscular injury, while Amadou Onana faces an extended spell on the sidelines after rupturing his ACL.

Boubacar Kamara is set to line up alongside new signing Gomes in the middle of the park following Youri Tielemans' move to Manchester United. The Frenchman has been absent since January due to a PCL tear.

Emery faces a decision over whether first-choice goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez is ready to start, having only recently rejoined preseason training. Should Martínez be unavailable, Marco Bizot will step in.

Aston Villa predicted lineup vs. PSG (4-2-3-1): Bizot; Cash, Lindelof, Torres, Maatsen; Gomes, Kamara; McGinn, Buendia, Garnacho; Abraham.

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