Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has called on his team to create history by overturning a 3-1 deficit against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the Champions League quarter-final second leg at Villa Park. The uphill task follows last week’s first-leg defeat in Paris, where Nuno Mendes’ stoppage-time goal widened the gap.
Emery, no stranger to dramatic European turnarounds, referenced his past experiences, including PSG’s infamous collapse against Barcelona in 2017 when they squandered a 4-0 first-leg lead. However, he emphasized that this situation is unique and represents an opportunity for Villa to carve their own legacy.
“I have experiences of coming back, positively and negatively,” Emery said. “But now it’s something different. We want to write the history with Aston Villa—last year in the Conference League and this year in the Champions League. Hopefully, we can continue for a long time in Europe.”
Emery highlighted his team’s growth and resilience over the past two seasons, expressing confidence in their ability to rise to the challenge. “We are building experiences together here at Aston Villa. With our players’ mentality and our tactical approach, we believe we can beat PSG tomorrow,” he stated.
Despite Mendes’ late goal altering the aggregate scoreline, Emery remained focused on the task at hand: winning by at least two goals to advance. “Whether it’s 2-1 or 3-1, it doesn’t change much. We have to win—plain and simple,” he added.
Morgan Rogers, who scored Villa’s lone goal in Paris, echoed his manager’s optimism ahead of the decisive clash. “There’s massive belief. Most people wrote us off before the tie,” Rogers said. “Under the lights at home in a quarter-final, there’s no better place to be. If anyone can turn it around, it’s us.”
While acknowledging the difficulty of the task, Rogers emphasized Villa’s determination: “We’re not saying we’re going to do it for sure, but we’ll give it everything and aim for victory 100 percent.”
As Villa prepares for one of its most significant matches in recent history, Emery and his squad are determined to defy expectations and secure their place in the Champions League semi-finals.