PSG vs Aston Villa LIVE: Hosts take two-goal cushion into second leg after fine victory in Paris
PSG 3-1 Aston Villa: The French champions have a strong lead after winning the first leg
Aston Villa will need to overturn a two goal deficit in the Champions League quarter-finals after being beaten 3-1 by PSG in the first leg of their tie.
Villa took the lead against the run of play at the Parc des Princes. With PSG on top, John McGinn took control of the ball and kicked off a counter-attack. Morgan Rogers finished off the move with a tap in at the back post and the good vibes ended there for Unai Emery’s men.
Desire Doue was the instigator of PSG’s comeback. He cut in from the left and fizzed a shot into the far top corner before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia sent the hosts ahead in the second half with an equally superb strike.
Villa seemed content to take a loss back to the Midlands but Nuno Mendes made the task incredibly difficult in stoppage time with a dainty and professional finish to sit down Emi Martinez and give the French champions a third goal.
Relive the Champions League action with our live blog below:
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PSG vs Aston Villa Prediction
Aston Villa have been one of the more impressive sides in the competition so far but face a huge step up in level for this quarter-final.
Should Unai Emery’s men come out of this test with a positive outcome they cannot be ruled out of progressing even further in the competition but PSG have more than enough attacking quality to hurt them, especially with such a strong record at home.
PSG 2-0 Aston Villa.
Aston Villa early team news
For Aston Villa, PSG loanee Marco Asensio is set to face his old club having score eight goals in 11 appearances for Villa. Leon Bailey is an injury doubt though has been seen in full training and could feature at some point in the game.
But, Ross Barkley will be absent and Emery has to decide who to select in midfield with John McGinn and Boubacar Kamara both fit to start.
Predicted Aston Villa XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne; Kamara, Tielemans; McGinn, Asensio, Rogers; Rashford
PSG early team news
Lee Kang-in is currently sidelined for PSG and the hosts will be without their captain, Marquinhos, for the first leg as he serves a suspension.
Luis Enrique rested his big guns in Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele for the title winning match against Angers and they are expected to return to the starting line-up.
Predicted PSG XI: Donnarumma; Hakimi, Beraldo, Pacho, Mendes; Neves, Vitinha, Ruiz; Kvaratskhelia, Dembele, Barcola
How can I watch it?
Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live via TNT Sports 1 and discovery+, with coverage from 7.00pm BST. You can purchase a TNT Sports subscription via discovery+ here, for £30.99 per month.
When is PSG vs Aston Villa?
The first leg of the Champions League quarter-final is due to kick off at 8pm BST on Wednesday 9 April at the Parc des Princes in Paris.
PSG vs Aston Villa
Paris Saint-Germain host Aston Villa in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie at the Parc des Princes tonight.
The French club are the newly crowned Ligue 1 champions following a 1-0 victory over Angers on Saturday, ably managing to secure the title with six matches left to play.
Their focus now turns to the Champions League where they take on Aston Villa in the last eight having eliminated Liverpool, via a penalty shootout, in the previous round.
Villa have impressed in this competition for Unai Emery and hope to keep their fine run going. They defeated Club Brugge 6-1 on aggregate in the last-16 and have secured wins over Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig already in this campaign.
Good afternoon!
Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of tonight’s Champions League action as Aston Villa face Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals.
PSG have wrapped up the Ligue 1 title already this season and are now focusing of winning the Champions League for the first time.
They face a Villa side excelling this year but Unai Emery has a strong record in Europe and will want to impress tonight.
Can Villa beat PSG in their own backyard?
We’ll have all the team news, line-ups and latest updates throughout the evening so stick with us as we build up to kick off at 8pm.
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