"Favourites? The road to the Champions League is paved with favourite teams that were eliminated. We won the first leg, but we're not going forward with any certainty, because we have this ambition to win. We want to show that we have the level to reach the semi-finals.

"We must remain focused on our objectives. If we're prepared to suffer, we'll be prepared to win. We're preparing for all options. It's a very exciting competition. It's about seeing what kind of performance we can put in to get the victory."

Luis Enrique. pre-match.


“I have experiences coming back, results positively and negatively, in two ways.

"But now is something different.

“We want to write here the history with Aston Villa. Last year, in Conference League, and this year in Champions League, and hopefully for a long time in Europe.

“My experiences before was different, in different ways. I’m not going to remind the players (of) those experiences because my idea and my every work with the players inside, sending the message, is how we are doing this way, and how we are getting experiences together here with Aston Villa, with the players we are, with the experiences we were adding in our back last year, and this year, and as well with the combination we have with our players mentally, and as well individually and tactically to play being so, so demanding in our process to get opportunities and believing to beat tomorrow PSG.

“The first leg made one difference and our expectation as well was to accept everything what’s happened, always, if we were with real possibilities to play one match, getting our expectation close, to get (a) good result for the second leg.

“Of course, 2-1, 3-1, is changing something. A lot, not. Why? Because we have to win with 2-1, and we have to win with 3-1.

“Now, we have to win with one more goal in our expectation.

“We have to accept our game plan as better as possible, and we have to try to understand the idea, how we can get individual duels on the field.

“The players, they are protagonists to do their best work and to get their best performances.

“After the first leg, we were playing away, of course, the result is for them. They showed their favourite way they have for this competition and as well playing against us, but we showed as well our capacity to compete, getting close, to be as well adding with our possibilities to beat them.

“Tomorrow, tactically we are going to try to get our best individual and collective tactical idea to face them.

“We have to believe, showing our wishes to get it, respecting them in the same way we did there, but of course trying to use now Villa Park like our home and like our fortress.

“We are a lot of time feeling it, and to share with our supporters the really motivated match to play tomorrow.”

Unai Emery, pre-match.


"It's a special occasion - for us players and for the fans. Hopefully, we can go out there and win the game.

"Tonight we have to put more pressure on them. From the whistle we need to go out there and try get an early goal."

Ezri Konsa, pre-match.

“Anything can happen in football. They're a special side, but if the crowd get behind them, and Villa get an early goal - then anything can happen."

Villa European Cup winning winger Tony Morley, pre-match.


"Good evening. I am very proud of everything. Getting to this level is the next step forward, I want to try to win with Aston Villa. We played two legs, we competed well and it wasn't even. Today we competed better and we were close to the result. I want to try to work for my next process at Aston Villa. The crowd was fantastic, they gave us energy. Even at 2-0. Still, a little bit more to do better to try to get it.

"Every player at this level has a huge level to play and to try and be a protagonist. We were a protagonist as well with our skills. We were focused on our game plan. I was thinking only to play out game plan and be consistent. We were attacking and those transitions, they were clinical. We knew it. We tried to avoid transition and today we took the new game plan and were pushing more.

"It is now most important to get Europe again. The most important competition is the Champions League. The challenge we have for the last six matches is to try and get Europe and the Champions League.

"It is difficult to plan it now [signing Marcus Rashford]. He is feeling better and he played a fantastic match. We are very happy. If he is happy, we are happy. It depends on the circumstances for now and the next weeks.

“We played two matches. The first leg we did the plan we prepared and competed fantastic. In that moment, the second and third goal didn’t change a lot [the tie]. We were so, so proud of the work there, but still we had to do one step forward to get a good result.

“Today we had the opportunity to come back. We were speaking about that to get two goals, it is not a lot. A small gap. Sometimes it is big.

“Today it was sometimes a big gap, but we competed fantastic. As well, it was good because the players followed the game plan being consistent.

“At 3-2, when they were suffering against us and the press, it is the moment when we were missing the last minute in Paris.

“As well, today, after the 3-2, the last 20 minutes I think we were missing a little bit to push them and get the result back.

“We can feel happy, we can feel proud. We can also feel comfortable about the work we achieved. They showed the next level, but we can still be proud of the way we did in the Champions League.

“I am going to be demanding myself, with the players and with the club as well, how we can get better from today. Of course, every supporter as well was enjoying. We were feeling so, so comfortable and confident.

“I want to say thank you to the supporters and to keep going. To play in Europe again next year is the next objective.”

Unai Emery, post match.


"Obvious disappointment but I am proud of my team-mates, proud of the club. We have come a long way. We were so, so close tonight. We just fell a little bit short. We had chances to take the game to extra-time but we've got to be proud about the way we come back against one of the best teams in the world, to fight to the end.

"We want more. We want to be back here next season and we will try our best to do that."

"He said 'I'm proud of the performance, keep going, you just never know'. We never gave up. It was chaos, but we gave absolutely everything and I think every Aston Villa supporter will leave with a huge sense of pride."

"I've never played against Real Madrid or Barcelona, but in my career they're the best team I have faced. I'm getting old and I certainly wouldn't like to play against them every week."

John McGinn, post match.



"Very proud of the boys and what we did tonight. The two goals at the start killed us but we showed great belief and character to get back into it. We won the second leg but it wasn't enough.

"At half-time we felt we had nothing to lose. We wanted to go out there and prove a point. We had chances, I think I scored the hardest one. I don't think we could have done any more. I missed the ball [for a header], it happens.

"He [Gianluigi Donnarumma] made some excellent saves. We showed tonight we can compete at the highest level and we want to do it again next season."

Ezri Konsa, post match.


"I think so, simple as that. We cannot forget, this is the Champions League and the other team has a lot of quality. Aston Villa played with a lot of intensity. The whole two matches, we deserved to win.

"The second year in a row in the semi-finals and we want to go into the next phase.

"I think have the best squad in the world, not only the best goalkeeper. You have a lot of quality players at a club like PSG. That's football and that's competition.

"At that point, they didn't have anything to lose because they lost the first match and at half-time in the first half. The atmosphere in the stadium was very nice."

Luis Enrique, post match.