Aston Villa Faces UEFA Super Cup Without Key Players

Aston Villa will walk out for the UEFA Super Cup without one of their biggest leaders.

Unai Emery has chosen to leave Emiliano Martinez at home for Wednesday night’s clash with Paris Saint-Germain at the Red Bull Arena in Salzburg, giving his World Cup-weary goalkeeper a complete break after a gruelling summer.

Martinez went all the way with Argentina at the 2026 World Cup, only to suffer heartbreak in New Jersey on 19 July, beaten 1-0 by Spain after extra time in the final. Barely weeks later, Emery has decided not to throw him straight back into the intensity of European competition.

He is not alone on the sidelines.

Ezri Konsa and Ollie Watkins, both fresh from England’s third-place finish, are also missing from the travelling squad. The pair helped England beat France 6-4 in a wild third-place play-off in Miami on 18 July, then, like Martinez, were granted time to switch off.

“I gave them four weeks of holiday, and it was really necessary.”

So Villa turn to experience between the posts. Marco Bizot, the 35-year-old Dutch goalkeeper, is set to start against PSG, stepping out of Martinez’s shadow for a rare night as the main man on a major European stage.

Back in Argentina, reports suggest there is no long-term concern. Martinez is expected to rejoin Aston Villa soon and be ready for the Premier League opener against Brighton on 23 August. Before that, Villa will fine-tune their preparations with a final friendly against Borussia Monchengladbach next Saturday.

A Super Cup without Martinez, Konsa and Watkins is not what many expected from Villa. It does, however, draw a clear line: Emery is gambling on freshness in August over firepower in Salzburg. The season will show whether that choice tilts the balance in Villa’s favour.