Aston Villa could be giving Unai Emery’s new chance to end his misfortune in UEFA Super Cup.
The 2026 UEFA Champions League campaign is finally over, with PSG successfully defending their title. Luis Enrique’s side won on penalties against the current English champions, Arsenal.
That means Aston Villa are set to take on PSG in the 2026 UEFA Super Cup on August 12 in Salzburg. It is the next piece of silverware Villa could clinch, although it certainly will not be easy, considering the negative record that follows Europa League winners.
Since the competition adopted its current format in 2000, when the UEFA Cup (the predecessor of the Europa League) winners began facing the Champions League winners, only eight teams from the second-tier continental competition have managed to lift the trophy.
Even so, Aston Villa won the trophy in 1982, beating Barcelona in dramatic fashion with an unexpected comeback in the second leg. Prior to 1998, the contest was played over two legs. Can they secure another title and add a second trophy in less than six months?
In football, anything is possible. However, two things could become Villa’s concern ahead of the clash, and both are related to their manager.
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery may be renowned for his success in the Europa League. Winning the competition five times with three different clubs is clear proof of his ability in European knockout football.
However, that record has not translated into success in the UEFA Super Cup. Emery has never won the competition despite having multiple opportunities. He has taken part in it three times, but none of those appearances ended in victory.
Emery’s first two chances came while he was in charge of Sevilla in 2014 and 2015. In those editions, his side lost to Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively.
His third UEFA Super Cup appearance came in 2021 after guiding Villarreal to Europa League glory. On that occasion, his side were beaten by Chelsea on penalties.
Another concern is Emery’s record against Luis Enrique. The two managers have faced each other since the 2013/14 season, when Emery was managing Sevilla and Enrique was in charge of Celta Vigo.
Since then, they have met 12 times. Unfortunately for Emery, he has managed only three victories, achieved with three different clubs.
His first win came with Sevilla in 2015, while the second arrived two years later with PSG in the Champions League Both were against Luis Enrique’s Barcelona with their MSN (Messi, Suarez, Neymar) trio. His most recent victory came in their last meeting in the 2025 Champions League, when Ollie Watkins and Co. defeated Les Parisiens 3-2 in the second leg of the quarter-finals at Villa Park.
That victory could be an indication that Aston Villa are capable of helping Emery end his hoodoo. Besides, The Clarets and Blue have never lost a major European final. They triumphed in the European Cup and Super Cup in 1982, and added the Europa League this year.
Let’s hope fortune is on Villa’s side in Salzburg on August 12.
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