PSG chases second straight Super Cup against Aston Villa in Salzburg

The big stage is calling on PSG once again. This Wednesday, at Red Bull Arena in Salzburg, Luis Enrique's side takes on Aston Villa in the UEFA Super Cup, the first trophy up for grabs this season and the first serious test for a champion that has, remarkably, six titles within reach this year.

The big-picture goal is already clear: chase a third straight Champions League title and firmly enter the conversation about the greatest teams in history. But first there's this one to get through, a classic showdown between the Champions League winner and the Europa League winner, kicking off at 9 p.m. local time (1900 GMT).

For PSG, this is also about keeping a streak alive. The Paris club is defending its title after beating Tottenham on penalties last year, and now looks to claim back-to-back Super Cups. Villa, meanwhile, comes in with a much more distant history in this competition: their only title dates back to 1983, when they beat Barcelona over two legs.

There's one number weighing on the English bench. Their manager, Unai Emery, has lost three Super Cup finals: two with Sevilla and a more recent one with Villarreal. The stat doesn't doom anyone, but it's there, a ghost Emery will want to shake off for good.

A referee at the center of the controversy

The match also carries an extra storyline off the field. In charge of officiating will be Omar Artan, the Somali referee whom the United States denied entry to officiate at the World Cup just days before the FIFA tournament kicked off, citing concerns over his background and alleged ties to terrorist organizations, claims that were never proven.

UEFA didn't stay quiet. Choosing Artan, considered the best referee in Africa last season, to run the Super Cup reads as a direct response amid growing tension between the European body and FIFA, friction that has escalated with UEFA pushing to remove Gianni Infantino from the presidency after his plan (ultimately blocked) to sell off part of the World Cup's commercial rights.

Absences and doubts on both sides

On the strictly soccer side of things, Villa heads into the match with some notable absences. Johan Manzambi, the Swiss signing who arrived after the World Cup, is out with a knee injury, and Emiliano Martínez, Ollie Watkins and Ezri Konsa are also unavailable, having not yet returned to group training following international duty.

On the Paris side, Luis Enrique faces a similar dilemma: whether to start Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué and Bradley Barcola, along with Spanish World Cup winner Fabián Ruiz, since all of them only returned to training on Monday. There could also be a spot for Lucas Digne, the left back who joined recently, coming precisely from Aston Villa, and who could now make his debut against his former club.