Preview: Paris Saint-Germain vs Aston Villa - prediction, team news, lineups

European champions Paris Saint-Germain will try to claim consecutive UEFA Super Cups on Wednesday evening, when they vie with Europa League winners Aston Villa for more silverware.

PSG are set to meet English opponents for a second straight season, as the traditional curtain-raiser pits Luis Enrique's dominant side against Unai Emery's men in Salzburg.

Match preview

Now seeking to repeat Real Madrid's back-to-back triumphs in 2016 and 2017, Paris Saint-Germain overcame Tottenham Hotspur to win last year's edition of the UEFA Super Cup, which took place in Udine.

A late revival saw PSG swerve defeat and then beat Spurs on penalties, and they must face Premier League opposition again, after collecting another Champions League trophy at the end of last season.

Les Parisiens defeated Tottenham's old foes Arsenal on spot kicks after they were held to a tense 1-1 draw, making it a dozen pieces of silverware for Luis Enrique since arriving at Parc des Princes.

So, the all-conquering coach can target his 13th in midweek, before PSG start their latest Ligue 1 title defence against Rennes on August 23.

Fielding a team without several World Cup stars, the French champions lost 3-0 away to Mallorca in their first pre-season friendly, before playing out a 1-1 draw with Manchester United.

While still lacking match-sharpness, they are still set to take the initiative on Wednesday, having scored in 28 straight competitive games since January's derby defeat to Paris FC.

If previous meetings with Aston Villa are any guide, goals could be on the menu again: en route to their first Champions League triumph, PSG edged Villa 5-4 on aggregate in a frantic quarter-final tie.

Though the Villans bowed out of Europe on that occasion, last season's continental adventures took them all the way to Istanbul, where they emphatically beat Freiburg in the Europa League final.

However, having lifted their first major trophy for 30 years, two heroes from that night have already departed, with England forward Morgan Rogers and Belgium captain Youri Tielemans both moving on.

The Birmingham club acted quickly to replace them, securing the services of Alejandro Garnacho, Joao Gomes and Swiss star Johan Manzambi, all amid a busy pre-season schedule.

Emery's men have played six friendlies so far, winning three and suffering three losses, including Friday's 2-1 defeat to Bayern Munich.

Still, the competitive action only kicks off on Wednesday, before the Villans head to Brighton for their Premier League opener on August 23.

He may be a proven Europa League specialist, but Emery has lost all three prior attempts to add the UEFA Super Cup, most notably losing 5-4 to Luis Enrique's Barcelona while with Sevilla.

By contrast, Aston Villa have a perfect Super Cup record, beating Barca 3-1 on aggregate in their only previous appearance, just a few months after defeating Bayern to win the 1982 European Cup.

Paris Saint-Germain pre-season form:

Aston Villa pre-season form:

Team News

PSG's Portuguese trio Vitinha, Nuno Mendes and Joao Neves - plus long-serving skipper Marquinhos - all returned from post-World Cup breaks to feature against Man Utd, and Luis Enrique may welcome back more stars in Salzburg.

Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, Fabian Ruiz, Achraf Hakimi, Lucas Hernandez and Warren Zaire-Emery could play some part if considered sufficiently match-fit.

Goncalo Ramos, Randal Kolo Muani and Lee Kang-in have all left the club this summer; it remains to be seen whether Liverpool target Bradley Barcola will join them.

Maghnes Akliouche is the French side's main arrival, with Lucas Digne also joining from Aston Villa and World Cup final hero Ferran Torres soon expected to follow.

Meanwhile, Garnacho and Joao Gomes could make their competitive debuts for Villa, but record signing Johan Manzambi must miss out with a knee injury sustained while starring for Switzerland.

Captain John McGinn limped off during last last week's friendly win over BG Pathum United, meaning he could join Manzambi and Amadou Onana (ACL) on the sidelines; furthermore, Ezri Konsa, Ollie Watkins and Emi Martinez may not yet be ready to start.

More positively, key midfielder Boubacar Kamara recently made his long-awaited comeback, and rising star Brian Madjo has made a big impact in pre-season, scoring four goals after winning his eligibility battle.

Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:

Safonov; Boly, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes; Mayulu, Vitinha, Neves; Mbaye, Ayari, Kvaratskhelia

Aston Villa possible starting lineup:

Bizot; Cash, Lindelof, Torres, Maatsen; Gomes, Kamara; Hemmings, Buendia, Garnacho; Guessand

We say: Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 Aston Villa

PSG can become just the fourth team to retain the UEFA Super Cup, following in the footsteps of historic Ajax, AC Milan and Real Madrid sides.

Not only have the Champions League winners prevailed in each of the last seven editions, but the French giants are ravenous trophy hunters under Luis Enrique, while Unai Emery's Aston Villa are in the midst of a minor rebuild.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.