Champions League v Europa League: PSG face Aston Villa in Super Cup

Dubai: Paris Saint-Germain will aim to retain their UEFA Super Cup title as they face Aston Villa on Wednesday 12 August at Stadion Salzburg in the traditional opening clash of the European season.

After beating Tottenham on penalties in the 2025 UEFA Super Cup, the French champions secured their place in this year’s final by winning the Champions League for a second consecutive season, beating Arsenal in the final.

Now, having gone back-to-back in Europe’s premier club competition, they find themselves facing another north London side in the Super Cup final.

Aston Villa on the other hand, are looking for a second trophy in quick succession after their 3-0 win over Freiburg in the Europa League final ended a 30-year trophy drought.

For fans in the UAE, the 2026 UEFA Super Cup between PSG and Aston Villa will be available live on beIN Sports, which holds the exclusive rights to UEFA’s club competitions across the MENA region through 2027.

Fans can watch via the beIN Sports TV channels or stream the match through the beIN SPORTS CONNECT service, with the exact channel listed on beIN’s TV guide.

Fabian Ruiz, Achraf Hakimi, Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola, Desire Doue, Warren Zaire-Emery and Lucas Hernandez were handed extended time off after the World Cup, meaning they missed both of PSG’s pre-season friendlies.

The group has now returned to first-team training this week and travelled with the squad to Austria, giving Luis Enrique a full complement of players to choose from.

It remains to be seen whether Enrique will hand the returning players immediate starts against Aston Villa or opt to introduce them from the bench.

Captain Marquinhos is expected to feature from the outset alongside Portugal trio Vitinha, Joao Neves and Nuno Mendes, all of whom played 30 minutes in the recent friendly against Manchester United. Fellow World Cup stars Willian Pacho and Ibrahim Mbaye are also likely to start after featuring in both of PSG’s pre-season matches.

Lucas Digne could make his second PSG debut against his former side after the French club activated the £8.5million release clause in his Villa contract.

World Cup medal winners Emi Martinez, Ezri Konsa and Ollie Watkins were all given extended time off and did not feature during Villa’s pre-season campaign.

Should the trio not be ready to start against PSG, Marco Bizot will remain in goal, with Victor Lindelof partnering Pau Torres in defence and Tammy Abraham leading the attack.

Villa will definitely be without Amadou Onana, who suffered an ACL injury to his right knee while representing Belgium at the World Cup. John McGinn is also a doubt after landing awkwardly on his left knee during the pre-season win over BG Pathum United.

Record signing Johan Manzambi remains sidelined as he continues his recovery from a knee injury sustained with Switzerland at the World Cup. However, new arrivals Alejandro Garnacho and Joao Gomes are both expected to make their competitive Villa debuts against PSG.

Ian Maatsen, meanwhile, is set to take over as Villa’s first-choice left-back following Digne’s departure, having struggled for regular starts last season.