The manager of Aston Villa Unai Emery savor the prospect of adopting Paris Saint-Germain in the quarterfinals of the Champions League while the former English winners seek to end the quest for the continental glory of the French part. “Aston Villa is a historic club that won the European Cup in 1982 and of course, it is very special in football,” said Emery at a press conference in Paris on Tuesday on the eve of the first leg. “When I arrived at Villa two and a half years ago, I knew this story. Of course, my challenge at that time was to compete for trophies, and return to Europe. Being in the Champions League is really incredible, but maintaining consistency is the next challenge.
“Playing a quarter -final of the Champions League in Paris is really special for all the people involved in Villa, but we want to do it always at this level.”
Villa held the club Brugge to reach the last eight, after finishing an impressive eighth during the league phase of the competition.
Faced with a PSG side which ousted Liverpool under penalties on the last round promises to be a much more rigid test for villa.
“I think Liverpool was the favorites before playing PSG and PSG beating them by playing fantastic football,” added Emery, who led the champions of France from 2016 to 2018.
“Now, maybe with Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Barcelona, PSG is the favorites (to win the Champions League).
“It’s a huge challenge for me and for the players, but we feel confident.”
Emery said he thought Marcus Rashford had found happiness on the ground and played with freedom after joining Villa loaned by Manchester United in the winter transfer window.
Rashford, 27, scored three goals and four assists in 12 appearances for villa and a pedigree against PSG in European competition.
He marked a crucial time of downtime when United beat PSG 3-1 at the Parc des Princes in 2019 to win a draw of goals outside.
Rashford also struck a late winner in Paris when the Old Trafford Club won 2-1 in a group competition in 2020, played in camera during the pandemic.
“I think he plays freely and feels comfortable, and that’s the most important thing,” said Emery.
“We see him smiling and this is the best news that we can have.”
Emery has also been praise for his opposite number Luis Enrique, while the two Spaniards renew knowledge in the competition.
“He is one of the best coaches in the world. I have faced him a lot of times and it’s always tactically difficult,” said Emery.
Emery was in charge of PSG when they lost to Barcelona from Luis Enrique in the Champions League in the last 16 in 2017, down 6-1 in the return after winning 4-0 at home in the first leg.
(This story has not been published by NDTV staff and is automatically generated from a unionized flow.)
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