William Saliba reacts to Paris-bound message from Aston Villa ace Lucas Digne
Arsenal star William Saliba reacted to a message from Aston Villa’s Lucas Digne ahead of their match against PSG.
Following Villa’s dismantling of Club Brugge over two legs, the Midlands side are preparing to face off against the recently anointed French champions.
Just six seasons ago, the Villains scraped through the Championship playoffs, achieving promotion to the Premier League.
The turn around in fortunes can largely be attributed to some incredible work done by Unai Emery, whilst the recruitment of Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio have helped Villa find their feet in Europe’s premier competition.
Aston Villa preparing for tough test in Paris
Whilst Villa are no longer just along for the ride and have ambitions of adding a second Champions League title to their trophy cabinet, PSG will be their toughest test yet.
The Parisians dominated Liverpool across two legs and have cruised to a Ligue 1 title without losing a game.
Ahead of their match, Digne posted a photo of himself boarding the plane to Paris, captioned: “Next stop Paris”.
The post was liked by the Villa defender’s France teammate, Saliba, who came through his own test in the Champions League with Arsenal’s incredible 3-0 victory over Real Madrid on Tuesday evening (8 April).
Aston Villa can expose weaknesses in PSG backline
Football Insider Verdict
PSG, whilst unbeaten in Ligue 1 this season, are not infallible and have struggled at times in the Champions League this season.
Losses to Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, and Bayern Munich highlighted their leaky backline, with Willian Pacho and Marquinhos at times left isolated by their attacking fullbacks.
Emery will likely lean heavily on Asensio, who is available to play against his parent team by UEFA’s rules, to find pockets of space in behind PSG’s midfield three.
| Aston Villa next three fixtures | Competition | Date |
| PSG (A) | Champions League | 9 April |
| Southampton (A) | Premier League | 12 April |
| PSG (H) | Champions League | 15 April |
However, Rashford will be the key weapon in the Spaniard’s arsenal. The English winger will have plenty of opportunities to attack Achraf Hakimi, who is better going forward than he is backwards.
The on-loan winger from Man United offers a potent threat in the channels, and if Villa stand any chance against their French foes, it will likely come from the 27-year-old.