Aston Villa

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BBC Radio West Midlands crew are out in Paris to cover tonight's Champions League quarter-final.

They'll be on air at Parc des Princes from 19:00 BST with commentary on 95.6FM, DAB and Freeview channel 714 in the West Midlands.

Want to have your say? The phone-in is after the game until 22:30.

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The atmosphere is building in Paris as Aston Villa fans travel in their masses to see if the team can cause an upset at the Parc des Princes.

Having already beaten fellow Premier League sides Manchester City in the league phase and Liverpool in the last-16, PSG go into the tie as favourites.

However, Villa finished in the top eight of the new-look league phase of the competition and have a manager in Unai Emery with a rich history in European competition.

Emery's side have already caused one upset in this year's competition when they beat Bayern Munich at Villa Park. They will face a hostile atmosphere in Paris but, in a rich vein of form, they know they have a chance of taking something back home for the second leg in less than a weeks time.

But how do you feel about Villa's chances against PSG?

Make your choice here

Aston Villa fans are soaking up the sun and seeing the sights in Paris before tonight's Champions League quarter-final against Paris St. Germain.

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BBC Radio WM are in Paris for this evening's Champions League tie and have been meeting with supporters.

Fan Ben Crawford has flown over from New York with his American partner especially for the game:

"I led with the few days in Paris and left Aston Villa to the end of the conversation!," he said. "I couldn't miss the opportunity really. Could one once in a lifetime, quarter-finals of the Champions League. I just needed to get over across anyway I could.

"As soon as she said yes to Paris I said 'sweet, by the way there's a football game we need to go to and it's pretty big'. She's all on board.

"We've got the Eiffel Tower booked on Friday, Catacombs booked tomorrow and last minute Disneyland on Saturday.

"It'll be my first game in a couple of years so I just can't wait to hear that Champions League music."

Steve is another Villa fan in town for the quarter-final first leg.

"This is my fifth Villa trip abroad for the Champions League. It's a big commitment and a lot of money too, but 100% worth it. I've had the best times."

"It's been great seeing them do well in the Premier League, but I've been following the Villa since the early 1980s, so it's a great experience doing something a bit different- doing it with your mates as well, who you have been following Villa with all this time.

"It's come at a great time and has been fantastic. Loved every minute of it so far."

We have also been asking for your images so, like the below, keep them coming in over here

Phil McNulty
Chief football writer

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Aston Villa's fans are already starting to arrive in the Paris sunshine around Parc des Princes.

There is a real sense of anticipation and expectation among Villa supporters as they take the next step on their Champions League journey in the quarter-final first leg against Paris St. Germain.

PSG are favourites after beating Manchester City in the new league table format then knocking out Liverpool in the last 16 – but hope lies with their manager and European specialist Unai Emery.

Emery won the Europa League three times in succession with Sevilla and once with Villarreal, who he also took to the Champions League semi-final in 2022.

And his old adversary, PSG coach Luis Enrique, will be wary of Emery's ability to navigate the European stage.

Conditions will be perfect here in Paris and Villa will find out, as Manchester City and Liverpool did before them, that PSG are experts at creating a hostile atmosphere as Emery tries to fashion a result that will give his side hope for the second leg at Villa Park.

Tom: Cannot wait for the match! It's obviously against very tough opposition away from home, but we have hit a rich vein of form and almost everyone has recovered from their injuries so there could not be a better time for us to reach for the stars!

Get involved by sending us your pics and stories from Paris over here

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Marco Asensio has been "brilliant" and has "fitted into the team really well" since his mid-season arrival on loan at Aston Villa, says team-mate Youri Tielemans.

Asensio has scored eight goals and registered one assist in 11 games since making the move from Paris St-Germain - and Uefa rules mean he is eligible to face his parent club in the Champions League quarter-finals.

"He [Asensio] has been brilliant since he came in," Tielemans said before Wednesday's first leg in the Parc des Princes. "He's been working so hard. You can see on the pitch he's making effort for the team defensively and offensively you can just see his class whenever he touches the ball.

"When you look at him, you don't think he's a hard worker in the sense that he's probably more a ball player, but off the ball he does his job really well and that's what we need from every player.

"I remember his first cameo at Villa Park and he was brilliant. He glided through some of the midfielders he came up against. I like him a lot because he works really hard. He's someone who takes responsibility with the ball and tries to pick up spaces. For me that is really good because I can pass him the ball in forward areas.

"He's fitted into the team really well. The system suits him to play just off the striker as a number 10 and to be able to be free to pick up spaces. We can find him through the lines which shows he's a really good player.

"Then, off the pitch he's just a really calm and good guy who works really hard. He's a great player."

Full commentary of Paris St-Germain v Aston Villa on BBC Radio 5 Live from 20:00 GMT

Unai Emery believes Emiliano Martinez is 'getting better at controlling his emotions' ahead of Aston Villa's Champions League quarter-final game at Paris St-Germain.

The Argentina goalkeeper has kept five clean sheets from 10 Champions League appearances so far this season - putting him third behind Arsenal's David Raya (six) and Inter Milan's Yann Sommer (seven).

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.

Watch The Football News Show here

Send us your pictures and comments from Paris here

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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