Aston Villa Faces PSG in UEFA Super Cup Without Key Players
Aston Villa will walk out to face Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup without the man who usually dominates their penalty area and most of their headlines.
Emiliano Martinez, fresh from the emotional high and crushing low of another World Cup final with Argentina, has not even travelled to Salzburg. Unai Emery has deliberately left his No 1 at home, deciding the goalkeeper needs a proper break after a gruelling summer that ended in a 1-0 extra-time defeat to Spain in New Jersey on 19 July.
Martinez is not alone. Ezri Konsa and Ollie Watkins, two pillars of Villa’s rise under Emery, are also missing from the squad for Wednesday night’s clash at the Red Bull Arena.
All three went deep into the 2026 World Cup. While Martinez suffered heartbreak with Argentina, Konsa and Watkins helped England finish third, edging a wild 6-4 third-place play-off against France in Miami on 18 July. They have barely stopped since last season ended.
Emery has decided he will not push them any further. Not yet.
“I gave them four weeks of holiday, and it was really necessary,” he told French outlet RMC, underlining that this is a calculated call, not a late fitness scare or disciplinary issue. Rest now, or risk paying for it when the Premier League schedule starts to bite.
Their absence reshapes the look of Villa for one of the biggest nights of the club’s recent history. In goal, 35-year-old Dutchman Marco Bizot is expected to step in, tasked with holding firm against PSG’s firepower under the Super Cup spotlight. For a veteran who has spent much of his career in the shadows of bigger names, it is a huge stage and an even bigger responsibility.
At the back, Villa must cope without Konsa’s calm presence and recovery pace. Up front, they go into a European showpiece minus Watkins, the relentless runner and finisher who has become central to Emery’s attacking plan. The spine that carried Villa into this glamour tie will largely watch it from afar.
The message from the manager is clear: the season matters more than the spectacle.
Argentina’s media expect Martinez to rejoin the squad shortly, with an eye on being ready for the Premier League opener against Brighton on 23 August. Between now and then, Villa have one final tune-up: a friendly against Borussia Monchengladbach next Saturday, where the rhythm for the domestic campaign will really start to form.
So tonight belongs to the understudies and the squad men, thrown into a Super Cup battle with PSG while the World Cup trio recharge. If they seize their chance, Emery’s gamble looks inspired. If they falter, questions will follow.
Either way, the real verdict on this decision arrives not in Salzburg, but when the league kicks off and Villa discover whether their stars’ extended summer has bought them a stronger autumn.
