Marcus Rashford returns to familiar hunting grounds as Aston Villa face Paris Saint-Germain in Wednesday’s Champions League quarterfinal. The on-loan Manchester United forward has twice been the hero at Parc des Princes, scoring decisive goals in previous visits with his former club.
Villa enter the contest riding an impressive seven-match winning streak across all competitions, with their January loan signings proving transformative. Rashford has rediscovered his form after a difficult period at United, scoring his first Premier League goal for Villa against Brighton last week after netting twice in their FA Cup quarterfinal victory.
“He’s recovering confidence himself playing football, being focused only on football,” said Villa manager Unai Emery, who previously coached PSG from 2016 to 2018. “Everything with him is progressively getting better.”
Alongside Rashford, Marco Asensio has made an even more dramatic impact since arriving from PSG. The Spanish international has scored eight goals in just 11 appearances, including three in the previous round against Club Brugge. Interestingly, UEFA rules allow Asensio to face his parent club as they cannot influence which players their loanees field.
Villa midfielder Amadou Onana highlighted the duo’s importance: “You could see straight away when they came in, the direct impact. Both of them played at the highest possible level and even for us young players, it’s inspiring training and learning from them.”
This quarterfinal represents Villa’s deepest European run since they won the European Cup in 1982. Their remarkable journey under Emery has already seen them climb to sixth in the Premier League while reaching the FA Cup semifinals.
PSG, fresh from clinching their record-extending 13th Ligue 1 title, eliminated Liverpool in the previous round and remain among the tournament favorites despite their post-Mbappé transition. Luis Enrique’s side has embraced a more collective approach this season, making them a formidable obstacle in Villa’s fairytale European campaign.
