Emery, the King of Cups, takes on European champions PSG

The King of Cups versus the King of Coins. No, this isn’t a showdown on the green baize of some casino, but on a pitch that’s just as green. Specifically, the Red Bull Arena in Salzburg, where tonight Aston Villa and Paris Saint-Germain will battle it out for the UEFA Super Cup, the first official fixture of yet another, very long football season on the Old Continent. On one side, then, are the English side, led by Unai Emery. He is the King of Cups, with the Europa League – his favourite hunting ground – having won it five times with Sevilla, Villarreal and, indeed, Aston Villa. To these trophies should be added those won whilst he was in charge of PSG: one Ligue 1 title, two French Cups, two League Cups and two French Super Cups.

The 54-year-old Emery is one of the most successful managers in modern football, yet he has not always received the recognition he deserves. Perhaps this is because he has won only one domestic league title (the one, as already mentioned, with Paris Saint-Germain) and no Champions League. On the other hand, apart from his spell in Paris and a season in charge of Arsenal, Emery’s career has always unfolded away from the big clubs, on limited budgets, with the result that he has managed just sixty-five matches in Europe’s premier club competition (Guardiola, for example, has managed one hundred and ninety-one Champions League matches). This year, the Basque manager will have the chance to improve his Champions League record, having guided the Villans to their second qualification in three seasons in Birmingham. For Emery, the campaign that begins tonight will be his fourth season in charge of the Birmingham side.

It could still prove to be a tricky season, given that the club has sold Morgan Rogers to Chelsea, Tielemans to Manchester United and Lucas Digne to PSG. And that’s not all. With the transfer window still open, others could be on their way out. In this regard, the names of Konsa and Dibu Martínez have been mentioned; both are absent tonight as they are still on holiday following the World Cup (as is Ollie Watkins).

And the transfer window is also open for the two-time European champions, during this sizzling summer which has seen PSG constantly grappling with their goalkeeping problem. The story is well known: Donnarumma was there, but Luis Enrique wasn’t satisfied with the Italian, particularly when it came to his distribution. So he sold him to Manchester City, starting last season with Chevalier between the posts. However, not even the former Lille player was entirely convincing, and so, around halfway through the season, Lucho opted for the Russian Safonov, who started in the Champions League final won on penalties against Arsenal. Now he’s giving Zion Suzuki a go, although he will be signed and immediately loaned out to Juventus.

Emery hopes to repeat the feat of 2025, when he beat Luis Enrique’s side 3–2 in the Champions League quarter-final second leg. Back then, it wasn’t enough to progress to the next round. This time, however, it would be enough to win another trophy and to honour the memory of Ozzy Osbourne, perhaps Birmingham’s most famous citizen. Emery, like Ozzy, is certainly no ordinary man.