Paris Saint-Germain – Aston Villa: Luis Enrique’s Ensemble Entertains Again (3-1)

Unai Emery entered his old abode to spoil the spectacle for fans of the French champions. As a grand master of matches in elite European environments, he did his best to try and destroy the momentum. But a pulsating performance propelled the Parisians to the cusp of the final four.

Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere.

Will the perennial pain of the Parisian project end at long last? It was not long ago that PSG were in a pinch, being on the brink of early European elimination in the league phase of this competition. But since the start of 2025, the pieces of this puzzle have pulled in the right direction. The triumph over Liverpool left no doubt that this team is greater than the sum of its parts, still strong with a selection of feared French forwards. Could a man once sent to their scrap heap stifle the spirit of this squad?

Unai Emery encountered Luis Enrique in an all-timer Remontada, losing a 4-0 goal lead to bow out of the Round of 16 in 2017 with PSG. His short stint in the Parisian capital, and then at Arsenal, courted critique, but the time at Villarreal and Aston Villa . . .