Paris Saint-Germain (4-3-1) and Aston Villa (5-2-1) will face off today at 3:00 p.m. EDT at Villa Park in Birmingham, England.
PSG is favored at a +110 price, with the over/under set at 2.5 (-158o / +120u) goals.
Let's get into my PSG vs. Aston Villa prediction.
PSG vs. Aston Villa Odds, Prediction
| PSG Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-0.5 -100 | 2.5 -158o / +120u | +110 |
| Aston Villa Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+0.5 -150 | 2.5 -158o / +120u | +210 |
PSG vs. Aston Villa spread: PSG -0.5 (-100), Aston Villa +0.5 (-150)
PSG vs. Aston Villa over/under: 2.5 (-158o / +120u)
PSG vs. Aston Villa moneyline: PSG +110, Aston Villa +210
PSG vs. Aston Villa Best Bet: Over 3.5
PSG Prediction
Few clubs are as familiar with the taste of unpredictable elimination from the UEFA Champions League as PSG. With the iconic Remuntada at the Camp Nou as the most glaring example, the Parisian outfit has lost three of the past seven times in which they they held a two-or-more-goals lead heading into the second leg.
Still, this PSG team is a different animal than those of the past. Far from the days of Ibrahimovic, Neymar, Mbappe or Messi, Luis Enrique built a team not around a star, but around hard work and commitment, where every player pulls their weight. Per Opta, four different players have been directly involved in five or more goals in the Champions League this season: Ousmane Dembélé (9), Achraf Hakimi (6), Bradley Barcola (6) and Désiré Doué (5). That's the most they've ever had.
They arrive at Villa Park a rested bunch. All but crowned Ligue 1 winners with a 21-point advantage over second-placed Monaco and a game in hand, the scheduling allowed them a whole week of preparation, having not played over the weekend.
Still, we'd be foolish to ignore the Parisian side's bottling history as they have won just four of their past 17 visits to England.
At least Enrique won't have many selection conundrums in his head, with the whole team available to line up against Villa.
Aston Villa Prediction
The Parisian outfit may have a certain bottlers' fame, but luckily for them, Villa doesn't have much of a comeback history to speak of recently. The Villains have to look back as far as 2002 to find the last time they overturned a two-goal deficit in Europe, beating Zurich 3-0 at Villa Park during the 2002 Intertoto Cup.
The deflating effects of Nuno Mendes' injury-time goal for PSG became apparent, as Unai Emery's side avoided ridicule on Saturday. It took the Villains over an hour to break an already relegated Southampton's defense, the 3-0 final score camouflaging a weak performance.
Still, Villa does not need a miracle UCL win to return to Europe in the coming season. Sitting seventh with 54 points, they're just two away from fourth-placed Newcastle United. Their home form certainly vouches for them, as they have gone undefeated in the past 17 matches across all competitions, including wins in their past four.
That means PSG can take nothing for granted, even if Villa's record against teams from across the British Channel — three losses in their past three — gives them hope.
Like his counterpart, Emery will have little to ponder regarding his starting 11, with all but forward Leon Bailey (doubt) available for selection.
PSG vs. Aston Villa Pick
The idea of PSG as contenders would've been laughed out of the room earlier in the season, when losses to Arsenal, Atlético de Madrid and Bayern Munich made them look like a shadow of their former selves. But come April, they're looking like one of the favorites.
Enrique has done a terrific job galvanizing the team after losing a truckload of star power. Ironically, that was the job Aston Villa manager Emery wasn't given the chance to do when he was at the helm of the Parisian outfit.
Emery has done his own miraculous work at Aston Villa, but there's still a distance between his team and PSG. It showed in the first leg, and I don't fancy their odds to pull off the miracle. Regardless, with the two teams still needing something and the offensive firepower at hand, I think it'll be a terrific game — with plenty of goals — for the neutral fan to enjoy.
