4 days Ago By Darren Looney, HITC
Tuesday night is set to be a huge one for the season of Aston Villa. Unai Emery’s men are looking to overturn a 3-1 deficit against Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League quarter-final tie after Emi Martinez and his teammates experienced a tough night in Paris last week. Villa Park will be electric when they welcome the Ligue 1 champions to England and Marcus Rashford believes momentum is building ahead of a big European night in Birmingham.
The English forward could have a big role to play against PSG, even if the Man United loanee does not start the game, as substitutes have played a big role in Aston Villa’s success this season, evident again at the weekend during their 3-0 win against Southampton. Aston Villa’s record-breaking super subs The weekend win over Southampton was Aston Villa’s fourth successive victory in the Premier League as Emery’s men continue to push to qualify for next season’s Champions League. Those three points came courtesy of the Birmingham club’s bench as their win against the Saints saw Villa become the first team in Premier League history to have three different substitutes score in the same match, according to OPTA’s Analyst .
In their current four-game winning streak, Aston Villa have scored nine goals, of which five have come from substitutes, with another assisted by a player introduced from the bench. Those five goals account for half of their seasonal tally (10), with the first five goals scored by Villa substitutes all coming in the opening three months of the season, a period in which Jhon Duran was in top form for the Birmingham club. Across all competitions, Villa lead the Premier League with 17 goals scored by substitutes in the 2024/25 campaign.
In league matches alone, only Fulham (14) and Bournemouth (12) have scored more than Villa’s 10 goals via subs. Aston Villa have worked hard to build a great squad for Emery and it has played a key role in their recent success. Heading into the PSG clash on Tuesday night, this factor could play a big role, although Emery needs to get his starting 11 right first and foremost.
Unai Emery faces Ollie Watkins decision Aston Villa’s chances of winning the Champions League this season are slim and it is unlikely that the Premier League club will even reach the semi-finals. If they are to achieve this, Emery will need to get his team right for PSG, after the Spanish coach rested several stars at the weekend. Ollie Watkins has not started Aston Villa’s last two games and having opened the scoring against Southampton, it remains to be seen if he is given the nod to face the French giants.
Having started the Saints match on the bench, it is very likely that Emery goes with Watkins on Tuesday night as the English club need goals and there is no one better in Villa’s squad to deliver them. After being overlooked for the first leg in Paris, Watkins should arrive at Villa Park with a point to prove, with the Champions League contest being set up for the England international to shine. This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.
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