| Prefer us on Google — see Tips.gg in Top Stories & Discover | Add on Google |
Paris Saint-Germain arrive at the Red Bull Arena on Wednesday night as back-to-back kings of Europe, but they arrive with a squad that has barely trained together. Aston Villa arrive as Europa League winners with a spine that has been torn out and hastily patched. That contradiction is what makes the 2026 UEFA Super Cup predicted lineups the most interesting story of the week — because for once, the team sheets matter more than the badges.
2026 UEFA Super Cup Final: Key Match Information
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Date | Wednesday, 12 August 2026 |
| Kick-off | 20:00 BST |
| Venue | Red Bull Arena, Salzburg |
| Referee | Omar Artan |
| VAR | TBC |
| TV / Stream | TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate, HBO Max |
How PSG and Aston Villa Reached the 2026 UEFA Super Cup
PSG’s route here was the harder one. A year on from finally breaking their Champions League duck, Luis Enrique’s side retained the trophy in May by surviving one of the tightest finals in recent memory. Kai Havertz punished them inside six minutes, Ousmane Dembélé hauled them level from the penalty spot midway through the second half, and after half an hour of extra time it was Nuno Mendes who buried the winning kick in the shootout against Arsenal.
Villa’s evening in Istanbul was considerably calmer. Youri Tielemans, Emiliano Buendía and Morgan Rogers all scored as Freiburg were dismantled 3-0 at the Beşiktaş Stadium, delivering the club’s first continental silverware in almost 45 years. Only two defeats blemished the entire Europa League campaign — a genuinely surprising loss to Go Ahead Eagles and a first-leg wobble against Nottingham Forest in the semi-final that Emery’s men promptly repaired.
The catch is that two of the three scorers from that final are no longer at the club.
PSG Team News: The World Cup Hangover Enrique Has to Manage
There are no injuries in the PSG camp. There is, however, a fitness problem, and it is the defining issue of their build-up.
- Fabián Ruiz — Spain’s World Cup winner returned last of all, arriving back with the squad on Monday 10 August, barely 48 hours before kick-off
- Achraf Hakimi — reached the quarter-finals with Morocco; workload will be carefully managed
- Marquinhos — went out in the last 16 with Brazil and has had a heavily reduced pre-season
- French contingent, including new signing Lucas Digne — also only back this week
PSG scheduled just two warm-up fixtures and got little joy from either, shipping a 3-0 defeat to Mallorca before drawing 1-1 with Manchester United. Enrique fielded both without the bulk of his internationals, which tells you plenty about how thin the tested options currently are.
The transfer window has been quiet on the way in — teenage goalkeeper Alessandro Longoni from AC Milan, Tunisian winger Khalil Ayari immediately loaned to Dunkerque — and far busier on the way out. Gonçalo Ramos (AC Milan) and Kang-in Lee (Atlético Madrid), both scorers in the 2025 Super Cup final, are gone. Randal Kolo Muani has joined Juventus after a difficult loan at Spurs. Bradley Barcola may follow, with Liverpool circling the 23-year-old.
Ramos’s exit leaves Enrique without an orthodox number nine — though given how often Dembélé occupied that central role last season, PSG’s front three was always more about rotation and movement than a fixed target man.
There is one delicious subplot: Lucas Digne‘s move from Villa Park to Paris is all but done, meaning the French full-back is theoretically eligible for either side on Wednesday. In practice, having only just reported back, he is unlikely to feature for anyone.
PSG Predicted Lineup vs Aston Villa (4-3-3)
Coach: Luis Enrique
Matvey Safonov (GK); Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes; João Neves, Vitinha, Fabián Ruiz; Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué
Kvaratskhelia is the one attacker with a full pre-season in his legs — Georgia did not qualify for the World Cup, so he has trained uninterrupted throughout. He should be the focal point of the attack regardless of who lines up beside him. Zabarnyi is the alternative to Pacho at centre-back and, having also missed the World Cup, may in fact be the fresher option alongside Marquinhos.
The Rotated Alternative: PSG’s Plan B XI in Salzburg
If Enrique protects his returning internationals rather than gambling them on a one-off final, the team sheet changes dramatically:
Safonov; David Boly, Illia Zabarnyi, Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes; Lucas Beraldo, Vitinha, João Neves; Ibrahim Mbaye, Senny Mayulu, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
That version hands Mbaye and academy graduate Mayulu a rare start on a European final stage, with Beraldo or Dro Fernández covering for the absent Ruiz and Boly deputising if Hakimi is not risked. Even in this shape, Vitinha, Neves and Nuno Mendes are unlikely to last 90 minutes — Mendes managed just half an hour against United. Expect early substitutions whichever XI Enrique picks.
Aston Villa Team News: Onana Out, Kamara Back, Midfield Rebuilt
Villa’s headline absentee is Amadou Onana, who ruptured his cruciate ligament on international duty at the World Cup and faces roughly nine months out. That is a significant loss in a midfield already stripped bare.
The good news is Boubacar Kamara. Seven months out with a posterior cruciate tear, he scored on his comeback in a 3-1 friendly win over BG Pathum United in Bangkok, then came through further minutes and started against Bayern Munich. He is fit to start.
Emery’s summer business has been targeted rather than expansive: Senegalese defender Modou Kéba Cissé for depth, João Gomes prised across the West Midlands from Wolves, and Alejandro Garnacho on a season-long loan from Chelsea — less than a year after the winger moved to Stamford Bridge from Manchester United. Garnacho took a blow to the face in Bangkok and John McGinn was also withdrawn with a knock, but both have recovered.
The departures hurt far more than the arrivals help:
- Morgan Rogers — sold to Chelsea, becoming the most expensive English player in history
- Youri Tielemans — Manchester United triggered his £35m release clause before the World Cup ended
- Donyell Malen and Jadon Sancho — both gone, thinning the wide options
- Johan Manzambi — the new midfield signing is currently sidelined
With Rogers and Tielemans both gone, the entire creative spine of the side that won in Istanbul has to be reassembled in a fortnight. Leon Bailey and Evann Guessand — the latter back from a mixed loan at Crystal Palace — compete for the flank alongside McGinn, with Garnacho the likeliest starter on the left.
Aston Villa Predicted Lineup vs PSG (4-2-3-1)
Coach: Unai Emery
Emiliano Martínez (GK); Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, Ian Maatsen; João Gomes, Boubacar Kamara; Alejandro Garnacho, Emiliano Buendía, John McGinn; Ollie Watkins
Watkins featured for England in the World Cup but should still lead the line. Martínez remains the expected pick between the posts, though Marco Bizot has appeared in at least one projected XI. Victor Lindelöf is the emergency alternative in midfield should Emery decide Kamara cannot be trusted with a full 90 minutes so soon after his return.
Where the 2026 UEFA Super Cup Will Be Won
PSG will have the ball. That much is close to certain — Enrique’s system is built on suffocating possession, and Villa’s stripped-down midfield is not equipped for a sustained pressing duel. The question is what PSG do with it while carrying legs that have had ten days of proper work.
Villa’s route in is transition. Watkins running the channels, Garnacho attacking Hakimi’s vacated right flank, Buendía finding the pockets between Marquinhos and the midfield line. If Enrique fields the rotated XI, Villa suddenly face a back four missing its most experienced pieces — and an attack led by two players making their first competitive start of the campaign.
Conversely, if the internationals play, PSG’s ceiling is far higher but their capacity to sustain intensity for 90 minutes is genuinely questionable. Both benches will be busy by the hour mark. Expect a game decided in the final half hour by whoever manages substitutions better — and in one-off finals, that historically favours Emery.
2026 UEFA Super Cup FAQ
When and where is the 2026 UEFA Super Cup?
Wednesday 12 August 2026 at the Red Bull Arena in Salzburg, kicking off at 20:00 BST.
How can I watch PSG vs Aston Villa?
TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate in the UK, with streaming via HBO Max. Build-up starts an hour before kick-off.
Is Fabián Ruiz fit to start for PSG?
He is fit, but not necessarily sharp. The World Cup winner only rejoined the squad on 10 August, two days before the final, making a start a genuine gamble for Luis Enrique.
Who is missing for Aston Villa?
Amadou Onana is the only long-term absentee after rupturing his ACL at the World Cup, with a nine-month recovery expected. New signing Johan Manzambi is also unavailable.
Could Lucas Digne play for either side?
Technically, yes — his move from Villa to PSG is not yet formally confirmed. In practice he only returned to training this week and is not expected to feature.
Have PSG and Aston Villa met before?
Twice, in the 2024-25 Champions League quarter-final. PSG progressed 5-4 on aggregate after losing the second leg 3-2 at Villa Park.