Paris Saint-Germain vs Aston Villa
Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain will take on Europa League champions Aston Villa in the 2026 UEFA Super Cup in Salzburg on Wednesday.
This clash is a curtain raiser for European football, played out between the clubs which swept the awards last season and Luis Enrique’s PSG are hoping to become only the second team in the modern era to retain the Super Cup, emulating the Galacticos of Real Madrid won in both 2016 and 2017.
The French champions made it to this showcase opener, beating Arsenal to win the 2025/26 Champions League, to make it back-to-back European crowns. Unai Emery’s Aston Villa are hoping to upset the UEFA Super Cup 2026 betting odds, after they beat SC Freiburg in the Europa League final in Istanbul last May.
Talking Points
Barcola unlikely to feature
Transfer speculation around Paris has been at fever pitch for much of the summer, which started with the transfer of Portuguese striker Goncalo Ramos to AC Milan in a big money move, but that deal could be dwarfed if France star Bradley Barcloa follows him out of the exit door before it slams shut. Reports in the UK suggest that Liverpool are considering making a bid for Barcola with new manager Andoni Iraola bound to play an attacking brand of football. The player has said he won’t sign an extended contract with the Parisians, but his club has placed a 150m Euros price tag on his head and Liverpool will want to negotiate on that.
While Barcola is highly unlikely to feature in the UEFA Super Cup 2026 highlights there may be some game time for PSG’s new signing Maghnes Akliouche who arrived from Monaco last week in a 50m Euros move. The 24 year old attacking midfielder will be in competition for places at the Parc des Princes, with Desire Doue and Ousmane Dembele in a stellar front line and Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia PSG’s best provider of ammunition, while Barcelona star Ferran Torres is also on PSG’s radar.
Villa’s new boys ready to start
Fourth in the Premier League last term, ahead of both Liverpool and Chelsea and winning their first European title since 1982, Aston Villa are in the up under Emery and the club has strengthened in the summer, bringing in centre back Modou Keba Cisse from LASK, midfielder Joao Gomes from Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Swiss forward Johan Manzambi has switched from SC Freiburg this week in the biggest deal so far, priced at £59.5k. Manzambi is yet to reach full fitness but there could be game time for Cisse and Gomes, while loan signing Alejandro Garnacho could also feature, as Villa start life without Morgan Rogers, who has gone the other way to Chelsea.
Ollie Watkins looks set to lead the attack and the England man will hope to continue his resurgence after a strong season last term.
History
The UEFA Super Cup was the idea of Dutch journalist Anton Witkamp as he mused how to definitively decide which is the best club side in Europe. The Netherlands dominated football in the early 1970s with the legendary Johan Cruyff the shining star of world football. Ajax and Feyenoord had won four European crowns between them and Witkamp floated the idea of pitting the European Cup winners and the Cup Winners Cup champions together. So, in 1973, Ajax proved themselves to be the best with a 6-1 aggregate win over AC Milan.
In 1998 the match was reduced to just one leg and Chelsea triumphed with a 1-0 victory over Real Madrid, and last year PSG beat Europa winners Tottenham Hotspur 4-3 on penalties after they played out an entertaining 2-2 draw.
The only previous meetings between these two teams produced fantastic drama, PSG winning 5-4 in the 2024/25 Champions League quarter final, but only after the Villans had roared back from a 5-1 deficit. The Parisians won their home leg 3-1 and then scored twice at Villa Park through Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes. But goals from Youri Tielemens, John McGinn and Ezri Konsa gave the home fans a night to remember and the visitors an almighty scare.
Betting Tip
With the Villans priced at SBOTOP odds of 4.12 and PSG at 1.77 this is a game we expect to go the way of the Champions League winners but, as Spurs proved last season the opener is unlikely to be one sided, particularly this year as many of the players have had a short break following the World Cup.
I suspect we may go to penalties again and then, who knows?
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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