Dion Dublin
Former England striker on BBC Radio 5 Live

Lovely ball from John McGinn, he's curled it in, great run from Matty Cash, McGinn leads it into that lovely penalty spot area.

Aston Villa win a free-kick and a chance to put the pressure on.

They win a corner but nothing comes of it.

This is the first time a lot of these PSG players have been involved in any sort of match during pre-season.

For Unai Emerry, is this an opportunity to see what his side need to do this transfer window?

Away we go in Salzburg.

Paris St-Germain have got a lot of their players back from the World Cup and that means they look like a formidable outfit tonight compared to some of the Premier League teams we have seen in recent weeks.

Aston Villa almost unrecognisable from their Europa League win in May.

Warm ups done, almost time to get this one under way...

Image source, Getty Images

Aged 17 years and 212 days, Aston Villa's Brian Madjo is the youngest player to start a UEFA Super Cup final on record (since 2006).

Image source, Getty Images

Paris St-Germain complained this week that the dressing room for their Super Cup match against Aston Villa at the Red Bull Arena in Salzburg is too small.

Aston Villa are using Red Bull Salzburg's home dressing room, leaving the Champions League holders with the away one in Austria.

Sources told BBC Sport the French club wanted to be able to have the same size space as Villa, especially as they are the reigning Super Cup champions after beating Tottenham on penalties last year.

Uefa was able to allocate them a spare dressing room, normally used by the officials, to give them more space and the same as Villa.

Omar Artan has arrived to referee tonight’s UEFA Super Cup final, two months after he was denied entry to the United States and ruled out of the 2026 World Cup.

The Somali referee was stopped at Miami airport in June and was refused entry over what US authorities described as 'vetting concerns.'

He had been due to become the first Somali referee to officiate at a World Cup.

Image source, Getty Images

Tonight's game is a repeat of the Champions League quarter-final from 2024-25, where Aston Villa were so close to pulling off a huge shock.

Trailing 5-1 on aggregate in the second leg of the tie, they roared back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 on the night, eventually bowing out 5-4 on aggregate/

It was one of the biggest signs Emery had turned them into a side which could compete with Europe's best.

But, 484 days on from that match, Villa's line-up in Austria will has a drastically different look.

Morgan Rogers, Lucas Digne and Youri Tielemans have been sold while Amadou Onana is out injured until next year.

Fellow midfielder Boubacar Kamara is in the XI, but is only just returning from a serious knee injury he suffered in January.

Emi Martinez, Ezri Konsa and Ollie Watkins have not travelled after playing at the World Cup, with Emery giving them a month off.

Five of the substitutes that night are also no longer at the club.

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter at the Red Bull Arena

It's the PSG fans making all the noise at the Red Bull Arena this evening.

A flag of Luis Enrique lifting the Champions League is being vigorously waved behind the goal.

Both sides had an allocation of just under 7,000 for the game, with the stadium holding 30,188.

Ashley Young
Former Aston Villa winger on BBC Radio 5 Live

I hope tonight is going to be as exciting as the eclipse. I'm looking forward to it.

Unai Emery has suffered defeats by Real Madrid, Barcelona and Chelsea in the Super Cup - the first two with Sevilla, and then losing on penalties to the Blues in Dublin with Villarreal in 2021.

But, at Red Bull Arena against his former side and with 6,000 Villa fans travelling, he has the chance to break his losing streak.

"He [pointing to Villa captain John McGinn] was reminding me last week [about losing to Chelsea]," said Emery.

"Of course, it's an opportunity. A trophy is something that can give us a special moment. To play for trophies is, as a professional, our objective.

"PSG are the favourites but I am looking forward to playing, how we can test this match against PSG with our capacity?

"As a coach, as a player, as a club, it's a trophy. It's one thing that makes us proud of how we are and how we arrive here."

Unai Emery might be considered the king of the Europa League - having won it three times with Sevilla, once with Villarreal and last year with Aston Villa.

But he has never managed to win the Super Cup.

Will he set tick off that particular accolade with victory tonight?

Image source, Getty Images

What a night it was that booked Aston Villa their place in tonight's Super Cup.

They beat Freiburg in the Europa League final back in May to end a 30-year trophy drought and first European trophy since 44 years.

Image source, Getty Images

What do you think? Is the Super Cup a big deal or a glorified friendly?

And, Villa fans, what are your hopes and expectations for the season ahead?

Get in touch in all the usual ways.

After several weeks of pre-season friendlies as the World Cup blues still linger, it's nice to have a match that should, in theory, be competitive.

But does it really matter or is the Super Cup just a glorified friendly?

PSG midfielder Vitinha, insists the back-to-back Champions League winners will not treat it differently to a competitive game, but added that their pre-season has been "a little short".

"We're still hungry for victories, trophies. It's very difficult to maintain those levels but we're still hungry," said the Portugal international.