Paris Saint-Germain captain Marquinhos has warned Aston Villa that the French champions remain as hungry as ever to lift more trophies ahead of Wednesday night’s UEFA Super Cup showdown in Salzburg.
PSG beat Arsenal on penalties in the Champions League final and are targeting back-to-back Super Cup triumphs against Villa, who lifted the Europa League in May.
Villa's Squad Depleted
Unai Emery’s squad has been depleted in part by injuries, with Johan Manzambi and Amadou Onana both sidelined. Villa have also lost Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne during the summer transfer window.
Digne, however, will be in PSG’s squad to face Villa after returning to the French giants over the weekend.
Players' Views on Digne and Villa
Vitinha and Marquinhos were both present at PSG’s pre-match press conference and were asked whether Digne had spoken to them about Villa’s tactics.
“Well, the best person to answer it would be the coach - maybe he did talk about Aston Villa with him,” Vitinha replied. “I’ve spoken to Lucas, but we didn’t talk about Villa. There are new players at Villa; others have left. It will be difficult to play an English team, but we will be ready.”
Villa and PSG met in the Champions League quarter-finals last year, with Emery's side giving them an almighty scare at Villa Park in the second leg before PSG won 5-4 on aggregate.
“Of course, I remember that match - it was very tough in the second half. It will be very difficult - the coach has said the same,” added Vitinha. “A lot has happened in two years, but they have the same coach, so it will still be similar. We are aware that it will be difficult and that it’s very difficult to reach a Super Cup, so we will give it our all to win tomorrow.”
“He (Digne) didn’t talk too much about the opponent, nor about his time in England,” Marquinhos added. “Maybe he talked to the coach, and the coach prepared the game. Every player can have an interpretation of the opponent and details of what happens on the pitch.
“I’m very happy that Lucas is back at Paris Saint-Germain, and he is part of my story at PSG. He knows the story of the club, the previous PSG and not the one that has won many trophies now. He had a difficult time, but now he is back. I hope that we will have great times again together.”
Super Cup Details and PSG's Mindset
Aston Villa will face Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup final on Wednesday, August 12, as the Europa League and Champions League winners meet in Austria. Fans can watch the game live on TNT Sports via HBO Max or Prime Video's HBO Max channel.
Like Villa, PSG will also be undercooked, with many of their players slowly returning from holidays after the World Cup in the last fortnight.
“Our team won’t be at the peak level, but we have a title that we want to win tomorrow,” Marquinhos insisted. “The trophy is important. Luis Enrique is a coach that does not let us just rest on our laurels because we have won titles before - that is in the past.
“That’s the clear message. We want to keep winning. That is PSG’s mentality, more and more. Aston Villa is a tough opponent, we played them in the Champions League and this is another moment.
“All the titles we won are in the past. We have new goals to reach. We don’t think about the past, but with experiences that we have, and the good performances we have put in, that shows the right path to continue going on.”
