Paris St Germain kept alive their dream of a first Champions League title on Tuesday by squeezing past Aston Villa 5-4 on aggregate after a thrilling second leg of their quarter-final which the English side won 3-2.
Unai Emery says his players can feed off the energy of their fans as Aston Villa seek to overturn a 3-1 deficit in Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain.
Aston Villa must make home advantage count and draw energy from their supporters in the return leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Paris St Germain at Villa Park on Tuesday, manager Unai Emery said.
The Argentine international, dubbed a 'specialist in provocation' by French sports daily L'Equipe, was seen wearing a hat that celebrated the Albicelestes' success while covering up a French cockerel emblem on Tuesday.
Morgan Rogers gave Villa the lead at the Parc des Princes, but the French champions levelled through Doue before half-time. Kvaratskhelia put PSG ahead early in the second half and Mendes added a late third.
Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has attempted to provoke Paris Saint-Germain supporters with a baseball cap poking fun at France's defeat by Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final as he arrived for Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final.
Marcus Rashford returns to Paris Saint-Germain with Aston Villa on Wednesday seeking a hat-trick of wins at the home of the French champions while Marco Asensio can hurt his parent club.
Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique said Friday the prospect of completing the Ligue 1 season undefeated provided extra motivation for his team as they stand on the brink of securing another French title.
Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr have signed 21-year-old Colombian forward Jhon Duran from Aston Villa for an undisclosed fee, the Premier League club announced on Friday.
Arsenal's Premier League title hopes suffered a massive blow as Aston Villa struck twice in the closing stages to boost their top four bid with a dramatic 2-0 win at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
Phil Foden scored a stunning hat-track as Manchester City crushed Aston Villa 4-1 on Wednesday to keep their hopes of retaining the Premier League title very much alive.
Scott McTominay kept alive Manchester United's hopes of finishing in the Premier League's top four as the midfielder's late goal clinched a vital 2-1 win against Aston Villa on Sunday.
Emery's side are flying high in the league in fourth spot.
Champions Manchester City are ominously poised to strike in the new year despite a dip in form from last season's treble winners, while Arsenal, Aston Villa and Tottenham are also in the mix.
"Everyone is so happy, we need to enjoy the moment," said Luiz.
Aston Villa missed the chance to go top of the Premier League, with manager Unai Emery proclaiming VAR was "too much" after Nicolo Zaniolo's late goal salvaged a 1-1 draw at home to struggling Sheffield United on Friday.
Unai Emery revealed he didn't shake hands with any members of the Arsenal coaching team after Aston Villa 's huge 1-0 win because Mikel Arteta was absent.
Unai Emery's men have now won 15 consecutive Premier Leagues at Villa Park and back-to-back victories over Manchester City and the Gunners have sparked hopes of an unexpected challenge for their first title since 1981.
Unai Emery refused to label Aston Villa as Premier League title contenders after his side climbed to third place with a 1-0 win against champions Manchester City.
