The Champions League quarter-finals continue on Wednesday night, with two in-form sides clashing in Paris as PSG host Aston Villa.
Unai Emery returns to his former club as the first manager to take charge of Aston Villa in the last eight of Europe’s top club competition since Tony Barton in 1983, and standing in his way is compatriot Luis Enrique – who led Barcelona to Champions League glory a decade ago.
It all looks set up to be a special game in the French capital; here’s our pick of the stats to preview the action…
The Emery derby
Unai Emery was in charge of PSG between 2016 and 2018, winning the 2017/18 Ligue 1 title as well as back-to-back French Cups and League Cups. By trophies won, his time in Paris ranks as the most successful of his managerial career.
PSG will be the second of Emery’s former clubs that he’s faced since taking over at Aston Villa two-and-a-half years ago – the first, of course, being Arsenal. And he’s fared reasonably well against the Gunners as Villa boss, recording two victories and a draw in five games – all in the Premier League.
This, however, will be the first time that Emery has gone head-to-head with PSG since leaving, having avoided Les Parisiens in Europe while coaching Arsenal and Villarreal.
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Villa on the verge of a 60-year high
Aston Villa are flying right now – no two ways about it. With their 2-1 home league victory over Champions League qualification rivals Nottingham Forest on Saturday, Villa made it seven straight wins in all competitions as a top-flight side for the first time since 1981
A trip to the cauldron-like Parc des Princes represents Villa’s toughest assignment of the season so far, but there’s the added incentive of winning eight on the spin as a top-flight outfit for the first time in the post-war era.
PSG's power surge
Ominously for Aston Villa, PSG are just about the form team in Europe at the moment, and they sealed a record-extending 13th Ligue title by beating Angers at the weekend. Luis Enrique’s side have won 16 of their last 17 games in all competitions, the sole defeat coming in the Champions League last 16 at the hands of Liverpool – whose first-leg win in Paris was pure smash-and-grab stuff amid PSG domination.
PSG are aiming for a fourth Champions League semi-final in six years, and it’s fair to say they’ll be hopeful of taking a significant step towards that with victory in the first leg of the quarter-finals: they’ve won 16 out of 21 home matches this term, losing only to Liverpool and Atletico Madrid – both by a single goal and both in the 87th minute or later.
