Aston Villa vs Paris Saint-Germain tips and predictions: Qualification a tough ask for Emery’s men

Aston Villa state of play 

The Midlanders come into the highly-anticipated second leg off the back of a 3-0 win at already relegated Southampton on Saturday afternoon. 

That win means Villa have now won eight of their last nine in all competitions, with the only blemish being the 3-1 loss in the French capital last Wednesday.

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Still, despite their impressive form, the English club’s qualification prospects remain slim given the deficit. You can read who else might fall at the last eight stage in our Champions League quarter-final second-leg betting tips. 

Although manager Unai Emery will have been grateful to see talismanic striker Ollie Watkins net his first goal in over a month on the south coast. 

PSG state of play

The French champions were allowed to rest players at the weekend after their planned meeting with Nantes was rescheduled to later in the month.

The fresh legs, combined with their imperious form since the turn of the year, makes it incredibly difficult to look past Luis Enrique’s team at Villa Park. 

PSG were rampant in the first leg, recording a whopping 29 shots in total across the 90 minutes and have won each of their last 16 matches on the road in all competitions. 

Five of their last 10 away games have also seen them keep a clean sheet.

Key talking point: Villa’s habit of conceding at home is a concern

Villa may be unbeaten in their last 17 on home turf, but shutting opposition teams out has proven difficult.

Emery’s men have claimed just two clean sheets in their last 13 at home heading into Tuesday night. In fact, Villa have only kept two all season in the Premier League. 

Add in the visitors’ superb form in front of goal and the task looks even tougher for the Midlanders. 

Only Barcelona (36) and Bayern Munich (29) have scored more than the 28 goals PSG have mustered so far in the Champions League, leaving them with an average of 2.15 scored in the competition. 

If Villa are to stand any chance of upsetting the odds, remaining watertight at the back is a near must. Yet, PSG have failed to score just once since the first week of December.

FIRST’s top tip for Aston Villa vs PSG

Villa have been near flawless on home turf in recent times, but it’s hard to look past the most in-form side on the continent right now. 

PSG to win - 23/20 (Coral)

Extra tips

PSG forward Ousmane Dembele has averaged 1.6 shots on target in the Champions League, so backing him to be heavily involved again looks a safe bet.

Ousmane Dembele to have over 1.5+ shots on target - 5/4 (Coral)

Four of PSG’s European outings have also seen at least four goals scored, including last week’s first leg, so backing another high-scoring encounter could also be worth a poke. 

Over 3.5+ goals - 13/8 (Midnite)

Team news

Winger Leon Bailey remains Villa’s only injury concern and the Jamaican will be assessed ahead of kick-off in the west Midlands. 

PSG also head to England with a full squad to choose from. The return of captain Marquinhos will also be welcome after the Brazilian missed the first leg through suspension.

Aston Villa vs PSG predicted lineups 

Aston Villa: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne; Onana, Tielemans; Rogers, McGinn, Asensio; Rashford (4-2-3-1)

PSG: Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes; Neves, Vitinha, Ruiz; Barcola, Dembele, Kvaratskhelia (4-3-3)

Form guide (all competitions)

Aston Villa: WLWWWWWWWL

PSG: WWWWWWWLWW

Odds correct at the time of writing.