Aston Villa Drawing PSG in Next Season’s Champions League Would Be ‘Fantastic,’ Expert Says

The 2024-25 UEFA Champions League picture is taking shape, and two clubs will be in the competition. Aston Villa and Paris Saint-Germain could play against one another in next season’s tournament.

Last Tuesday, Aston Villa punched their ticket to the UEFA Champions League after Tottenham Hotspur fell to Manchester City. Meanwhile, the Parisians won Ligue 1 to ensure their place in the competition.

In an exclusive interview with PSG Talk CBS Sports reporter Jonathan Johnson, who covers the Parisians and is an Aston Villa fan, noted his potential excitement to see both these teams potentially cross paths next season. Moreover, it could mark the return of Unai Emery and Moussa Diaby to the Parc des Princes.

“Really happy with Villa to get to the Champions League,” Johnson said. “It’s been a fantastic, not just season, but a fantastic journey under Emery so far. Where Villa have come from to where the team and the club is now is nothing short of astonishing. 

“To see players of Diaby’s caliber playing at Villa Park week in [and] week out is something that I really was not sure would arrive at any point. To have Villa now potentially in the draw to face PSG next season, that would be fantastic. 

“For years, people have asked me, ‘What would you do if PSG and Villa came up against each other one day? Who would you support?’ My answer was always, ‘Well, thankfully, that doesn’t look particularly realistic, so I’m never actually going to have to decide between the two.’ But now, who knows? Maybe next season, I am going to have to.”

PSG had a Premier League club in their group stage this season in Newcastle United. The Magpies crushed the French giants at home and played to a draw at the Parc des Princes. 

Should the Ligue 1 side play the English club next season, it will be interesting to see if they learned anything from the Newcastle game in terms of approaching a hostile environment with supporters who have starved for Champions League football.