PSG/Aston Villa – McGinn warns Paris and bares his teeth

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·12 August 2026

PSG/Aston Villa – McGinn warns Paris and bares his teeth

As the UEFA Super Cup between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa approaches (tonight at 9 p.m., live on Canal+), John McGinn, the 31-year-old midfielder and captain of the English club, is showing strong ambitions for the 2026/27 season. In a press conference, the Scotsman emphasized continuity, hunger, and the Villans’ ability to defy the odds.

McGinn: “We have consistently competed with the best”

“At pretty much the same level as in recent seasons,” he said. “I think we have consistently competed with the best in England. I think we have consistently competed with the best in Europe, whatever the competition.”

This confidence is not based solely on captain’s talk. Aston Villa has established itself over time as one of the teams capable of troubling the English and European heavyweights. For Paris Saint-Germain, the Super Cup will therefore not simply be about living up to a superior status on paper: Paris will have to impose its rhythm and stop its opponent from turning the match into a tight, cagey battle.

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McGinn: “The same manager, the same methods”

“We will have our challenges, there are a lot of changes, but when you look at the other clubs in England, there are also a lot of changes there: a lot of managers change, a lot of players change. But what we still have is a core group: the same manager, the same methods, the same desire to achieve more.”

Here, McGinn identifies Aston Villa’s main strength: continuity. In a period marked by squad changes, keeping a common core and fully ingrained principles can narrow the gap with an opponent richer in individual talent. PSG will have to be wary of a team whose collective understanding allows it to be competitive quickly, despite the changes made around that core.

McGinn: “A lot of people thought we had reached our ceiling two seasons ago”

“A lot of people thought we had reached our ceiling two seasons ago and we proved them wrong. We still have the same hunger and the same desire to achieve more and, as long as we keep that hunger and desire, Aston Villa supporters can expect the maximum from us.”

The captain is also tapping into a powerful psychological factor: that of a team regularly underestimated and determined to push its limits. Against PSG, the Super Cup favorites, Aston Villa can once again rely on that underdog mindset. It will be up to the Parisians to handle their status and not, with a hesitant start to the match, fuel the belief McGinn has made clear.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.