Aston Villa

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has been speaking to the media before Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final first leg against Paris St-Germain in the French capital (20:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Emery began by reflecting on his time as PSG boss: "I spent two years here. I am very thankful and I learned and had experiences. I am trying to transform for my moment now as a coach. Feeling good."

• More on his return: "It is the first time I am here again in Paris. It is something special for me and I am very proud of how I am coming back here playing Champions League with Aston Villa."

• He rates this PSG team very highly: "Based on the way they beat Liverpool with fantastic football, now, with Real Madrid, with Barcelona, PSG are favourites in the Champions League."

• On his journey at Villa: "Aston Villa is a historic club in the world and they won the European Cup in 1982. When I arrived here I knew this history. My challenge was to be contending for trophies, to play in Europe again, and to play Champions League is amazing. To keep it consistent is my next challenge."

• More on what this match means to the club: "To play a Champions League quarter-final in Paris is something really special and amazing for everybody who is involved with Aston Villa but something we want to be consistently doing. We have to respond to everything they do tactically and it is a huge challenge for me."

• On how the squad is feeling: "We are feeling confident and comfortable in this competition. Our objective is to compete, take our opportunities, and to enjoy how we are doing it."

• On mid-season addition Marcus Rashford: "He's a good guy. He's humble, he is a very good professional player, he's really happy with his team-mates. He's demanding of himself and I think he's playing free and comfortable. We try to connect with him as a person firstly and then as a player."

• When asked about the welcome Emiliano Martinez will receive from the PSG fans, Emery said: "He is mature and he is responsible. He is getting better at controlling his emotions. When he arrived at Aston Villa to now it is a different Emi Martinez. He is a better player, better goalkeeper, and now my conversation with him is to always focus on football."

• On opposition boss Luis Enrique: "He is one of the best coaches in the world. I faced him a lot of times and always it is difficult tactically. He is very demanding with how he is creating and building his team. They are very good in pressing and with the ball they are a team who keeps the ball and being so aggressive and intense in each action."

David Michael
Fan writer

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It is perhaps fitting that the French phrase "deja vu" sums up Aston Villa's Champions League quarter-final.

Not only have Villa always managed to reach at least the quarter-final stage in their three campaigns in Europe's top-tier competition, but just last season they also found themselves on French soil in April, battling Lille in the Conference League quarter-finals.

For the travelling support, watching through the netting of the away end, it felt like being slowly buried alive. Villa swiftly surrendered their 2-1 advantage from the first leg and, looking inept for much of the night, seemed destined for elimination - until Matty Cash popped up late to force extra time. From there, it was over to Emi Martínez, Villa's ultimate get-out-of-jail card in the penalty shootout.

Booed relentlessly throughout the 120 minutes and spot-kicks - thanks to his World Cup heroics against France - Martinez will undoubtedly be front and centre in Paris again this week.

But Villa know they will need a season-best performance to have any hope against Paris St-Germain. Only last month, the French champions swept aside Lille, racing into a 4-0 lead by half-time. PSG have since clinched the Ligue 1 title and look set to go unbeaten domestically.

Their commanding display over two legs against Liverpool has also made many sit up and take notice of Luis Enrique's quietly impressive rebuild. PSG have shifted from the Galacticos-lite of recent seasons to a dangerous, dynamic and resilient outfit.

For Villa to thrive across the two legs, they will finally need to deliver on the promise that a fully-fit team sheet hints at. Yet, if Unai Emery can pull this off, the tension of that night in Lille may pale in comparison to the nerves and jubilation that awaits at Villa Park next week.

Find more from David Michael at My Old Man Said, external

Aston Villa fans are loving a "remarkable season", says fan Max Stokes.

The Villa are set to take on European giants Paris St-Germain in the first leg of a Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday.

It's a time to pinch yourself, says Max, as Unai Emery's revolution continues.

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Aston Villa are just one of two English teams left in the Champions League, but if they are to reach the semi-final they will have to overcome French giants Paris St-Germain over two legs.

The first leg of the tie, on Wednesday, is at Parc des Princes so if you are one of the lucky 2,000 travelling fans we want to hear from you.

Send us your photos from game day and your comments before a big night in the French capital here.

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Paris St-Germain manager Luis Enrique says he is "delighted" to face old rival Unai Emery when the French champions face Aston Villa in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

The two faced each other many times in La Liga while managing Barcelona and Sevilla respectively. Emery then moved to PSG and suffered a historic comeback loss to Enrique's Barcelona, who overturned a 4-0 first-leg deficit to win 6-5 on aggregate in the 2017 Champions League last 16.

"Our friendship has been built through our clashes," Enrique said in his pre-match news conference.

"I'm delighted to be facing a coach who has had one of the greatest European careers. He's a coach who takes care of his work. His team has improved thanks to him.

"Ultimately, every coach has their own style and way of managing their squad. Unai Emery is an expert when it comes to player performance. Wherever he's been, he's got the best out of them.

"This Aston Villa team is similar to ours in that they have a lot of versatile players. It's hard to know who's going to play. It's a very open and very difficult two games for both teams."

Marco Asensio has been in fine form since arriving on loan at Villa from PSG during the mid-season transfer window. Uefa rules allow him to face his parent club and Enrique is pleased his Spanish compatriot will be able to feature.

"I'm delighted that he can play, it doesn't bother me at all," he added.

"He didn't get the playing time he wanted here, he had this option to be able to go to Aston Villa. We shared a lot of things in the national team, he's a very important player for me and of a very high level."

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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One of the biggest questions left this season was partially answered at the weekend.

Unai Emery's Aston Villa are on a great run but with more tournaments, stress and games left than anyone else, the manager knew he had to rest some players at some point. Nottingham Forest were the chosen side as he made eight changes from the previous game.

That is the sort of makeover you usually reserve for an easy cup tie against lower-league opposition. This was, however, a vital chance to stay in the race for Champions League places. Could it work?

The high stakes gamble paid off, even if Villa were hanging on to the three points by their fingernails at the end. It was a big, brave and risky call but this was precisely the reason why Villa added depth with the likes of Donyell Malen, Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio after cashing in on Jhon Duran in January.

Seeing the problems in advance, finding the answers even before others would have asked the questions, underlines exactly why Emery is on track to be the manager of the season alongside Arne Slot.

Part of the Villa building project could still begin to collapse against PSG on Wednesday evening, but his foundations have given them a great opportunity. In an era when the role of the manager is being diminished by the hordes of slick-sounding data analysts, it's great to see a football man showing his football wisdom and showcasing its importance.

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Paris St-Germain and Aston Villa will meet for the first time ever in European competition.

Aston Villa have never won away to a French opponent in European competition (played five, drawn two, lost three).

Unai Emery has won just two of his 10 games against Luis Enrique (drawn one, lost seven), with both victories coming in home fixtures. This will be the first time the managers have faced each other since 2016-17, when Enrique's Barcelona came from 4-0 down in the first leg to eliminate Emery's Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last 16.

Marco Asensio has scored three goals in two Champions League matches for Aston Villa after failing to score in 10 games for his former club Paris Saint-Germain in the competition. If he finds the net in this game, 2024-25 would be his best return in a single Champions League campaign.

Andrew Bassett
BBC Sport Senior Data Analyst

Unai Emery and Nuno Espirito Santo spent the majority of the match in front, rather than within, their technical areas.

Emery energetically directed his team, frequently moving up and down the sideline, while Nuno stood unmoved with arms folded.

Their communication styles with their teams were different too. Emery directed his team, often gesticulating to up the tempo. One moment stood out - when he crouched down to excitably stress a point to substitute Boubacar Kamara as he was coming on.

For Forest, Nuno's assistant Rui Silva was more likely to interact with players during the match - shouting instructions and briefing oncoming substitutes. It was notable that Villa coach Austin MacPhee would jump up from the bench to coach most set-pieces, including some attacking throw-ins.

See what all the other managers did

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Can Aston Villa knock Paris Saint-Germain out of the Champions League?

Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton thinks that may be one step too far for as they travel to arguably the most in-form team in Europe on Wednesday for the first-leg of the quarter-final.

"I think PSG will win the whole thing," said Sutton on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club. "They were better than Liverpool and they are a young, fearless team.

"They've got the league wrapped up and they can just focus now on the Champions League.

"Villa have done brilliantly but I think they'll need Emi Martinez to play brilliantly.

"They need to try and stay in the tie and then get back to Villa Park because maybe then anything is possible? But I think PSG are a cut above everyone else left in the competition."

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Lamare Bogarde has signed a contract extension to remain at Aston Villa.

The length of his new deal has not been disclosed by the club.

The 21-year-old has been a regular in Unai Emery's matchday squads this season, making eight Premier League and four Champions League appearances so far this term.

Bogarde joined Aston Villa from Feyenoord's academy in September 2020 and has previously spent time on loan at Bristol Rovers to gain senior experience.

Image source, Opta

The Opta supercomputer has produced new predictions for the remainder of the Champions League before the quarter-final stage gets under way on Tuesday.

The model estimates the probability of each match outcome by using betting market odds and the Opta Power Rankings, external.

Favourites heading into the last 16, Liverpool were eliminated by Paris St-Germain, with Barcelona now leading the way - emerging victorious in 23.9% of simulations.

The computer has given Aston Villa a 28.7% chance of progressing past PSG and reaching the semi-finals, and just a 3.7% chance of winning the competition - the second-lowest of the eight teams remaining above Borussia Dortmund's 1.5%.

Villa's semi-final opponents, however, win the Champions League for the first time in their history in 19.3% of simulations - the second-highest behind Barcelona.

PSG clinched a fourth straight Ligue 1 title on Saturday and remain unbeaten domestically.

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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest.

Here are some of your comments:

Villa fans

Ian: Talk about a game of two halves! In control in the first half, but should have kept on the front foot and got the third goal to kill game off. But fair play to a very good Forest team, who could have won it in the second half. Eight changes from our last game shows our strength in depth and highlights how far we have come under Unai Emery. We have kept the dream alive, with a massive game at PSG in the week ahead. Keep the faith.

Jay: Difference between the two teams was Forest had no finisher and their bench was lacking in players to change the game. Emery's substitution of Garcia actually gave them more attacking space as Axel Disasi sat back. A worthy win. Despite the number of wild shots they had in the second half, we had better quality chances to finish it, which weren't needed in the end.

Mark: Make eight changes against third in the league and come away with three points... Unai is a genius.

Emma: What momentum we have! Also, having a full squad and being able to rotate is really helping. Unai Emery is one of the best managers. Now go and do us supporters proud against PSG.

Forest fans

Michael: As Jimmy Greaves would say, it was a game of two halves. Forest set up in the first half to accommodate some injuries, but it turned out to be all wrong and Villa ruthlessly exposed that inside two minutes. The second half was exactly what you would expect from Forest and they played so much better. Too bad both strikers were out injured.

Gary: Disappointed not to take something from the game as the overall performance was good. A terrible start caused by defence changes, which ultimately cost us at least a point. I'm still positive for the remaining games and we should able to pick up enough points to qualify for Europe.

Keith: Shambolic defending yet again. We are lacking a leader. Also there are now more question marks around the goalkeeper.

Mossy: Cannot begrudge that win by Aston Villa. They are the template for how Nottingham Forest should be next season. As for the remaining games, please no more injuries!

Gary Lineker presents highlights and analysis from Saturday's five Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Crystal Palace 2-1 Brighton

• Aston Villa 2-1 Nottingham Forest

Phil McNulty
Chief football writer

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Morgan Rogers once again demonstrated his star quality and vast potential when Aston Villa needed it most in their crucial win over Nottingham Forest.

The 22-year-old is proving what a bargain Aston Villa got when they prised this uncut gem away from Middlesbrough in February 2024, in a deal that could eventually be worth £15m.

With speculation about Rogers' development catching the eye of other clubs, that fee looks a snip now - although Villa will have no intention of selling such a talent.

The statistics underline his importance.

In 44 games in all competitions this season, Rogers has scored 13 goals and provided nine assists. Seven of his eight Premier League goals this season have either put Aston Villa in the lead or drawn them level.

He has also had a hand in 10 goals in his last 14 appearances for the club in all competitions, with six goals and four assists. Only Ollie Watkins (26) has had a hand in more goals for the club overall this season than Rogers (22 – 13 goals, nine assists).

Rogers, like Chelsea's Cole Palmer, was another who was unable to make the breakthrough at Manchester City, but might now have his old club casting envious glances in the direction of Villa Park.

Here, it was Rogers' composed finish that set Aston Villa on the way to a 2-1 win and he almost crowned a top-class display with a sensational solo goal in the second half, only to be denied by Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels at the end of a long run.

Halesowen-born Rogers was a product of the West Bromwich Albion academy before going to City, eventually being sold to Middlesbrough for £1.5m after loan spells at Lincoln City, Bournemouth and Blackpool.

City received a proportion of the fee Middlesbrough received, having negotiated a 25% sell-on fee from any profit, but he is currently priceless as far as Unai Emery is concerned - particularly as he has helped them reach the FA Cup semi-finals, the Champions League quarter-finals and move closer to a place in the Premier League's top four.

Rogers will now be a central figure when Emery returns to former club Paris St-Germain in that quarter-final first leg on Wednesday night.

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Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has been speaking to Sky Sports following the win: "A big win. We started dominating. They were playing tactically, a medium-low block, and we started dominating because they were not pressing high and not getting out. We were creating chances and we scored goals.

"In the second half, I am not happy. They were changing their tactics, taking more duels on aggressively and pressing higher, and we were not dominating like we have to.

"This victory is very important. I'm very happy with the victory. I'm very demanding of myself to improve things within the game. I'm happy because we have three more points."

On playing in the Champions League next week: "We are going to play two matches, the first in Paris and then coming back here. Of course we are going to prepare for the two matches, but it is completely different from the game we played today."

On rotating his squad and his squad depth: "We did it in Preston as well. It is very important to manage the players we have. We are more less with the players available. Leon Bailey hopefully can be available for Paris."

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Aston Villa attacking midfielder Morgan Rogers has been speaking to Sky Sports about the win: "It's a nice moment. We knew it was a big game. They are doing really well in the league and they are a difficult team to play. We knew we had to start fast and we knew it was a must-win if we want to get where we want to get in the Premier League.

"We were outstanding and deservedly got in front. We knew they would come back into it. They have got that quality, but withstanding their pressure was massive for us."

On the impact of the January signings: "That's what football is all about. The January signings have proved massive for us. We knew it was going to be important if we wanted to compete in the second half of the season, in all three competitions.

"We have made changes, but we all know our jobs. We were fully foucsed and the players who have come in have been outstanding. It was a good performance all around."

On his goal: "I saw Morato not looking and, once Youri Tielemans got the ball, I had to make the move. He has the quality to pick me out from anywhere. I knew I had to make sure the first touch was right to get the opportunity. It fell perfectly and I'm happy to put it away.

"You could hear the crowd when the ball was coming over the top, so I had to be calm and composed."

On facing Paris St-Germain next: "It's going to be a massive game. It's surreal to be in that game. We will go there with confidence because we are playing well at the moment.

"They are one the best teams in the world, there is no denying that. We are in the quarter-finals for a reason. We will go there and try to win the game as always and see where it takes us. I'm looking forward to it."

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Aston Villa have won seven consecutive games in all competitions for the first time since a 10-game winning streak between March and April 2019 while playing in the Championship. They have done so as a top-flight side for the first time since March 1981 (7 games).

There was just 138 seconds between Morgan Rogers' opener (12:15) and Donyell Malen (14:33) putting Aston Villa 2-0 up.

Seven of Morgan Rogers' eight Premier League goals this season have either put Aston Villa in the lead (4) or drawn them level (3).

Were you at Villa Park or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Aston Villa's performance

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Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies