Shearer jokes as Micah Richards takes swipe at Aston Villa ahead of PSG clash
Micah Richards has had his say ahead of the Champions League quarter final clash between Aston Villa and PSG.
The Villans made it through to the last eight of Europe’s elite competition thanks to a 3-0 win against Club Brugge on Wednesday (12 March).
By comparison, the Parisians narrowly secured their place in the next round thanks to a penalty shootout win against Liverpool at Anfield.
Looking ahead to the clash between Unai Emery’s new and old sides former Villa skipper Richards has offered his desire, which has been picked apart by Alan Shearer.
Shearer laughs at Richards in Aston Villa v PSG admission
It is fair to say that the Villa Park faithful don’t have fond memories of the ex-England international’s spell as captain in B6.
Now, the Villans are a far cry from the side that was relegated back in 2016 and are holding their own among Europe’s elite clubs.
This has been largely down to the work of Emery and has been supplemented this season by the addition of experienced stars like Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford.
Now a clash against an impressive PSG side awaits after Luis Enrique’s side squeezed past Liverpool and captured the hearts of many supporters across the world.
One of those was Richards, who admitted on The Rest Is Football (14 March) that he wants the Ligue 1 giants to win the whole tournament.
He said: “I really want them [PSG] to go all the way now. I want them to win the Champions League and show everyone that you can do it with a team.”
This came as a surprise given his prior link to the Villans which was pointed out by Shearer.
The former striker butted in, while laughing, to say: “Just for the record, for all the Aston Villa fans, you want them to get beat in the next round do you?”
Richards instantly replied: “No, no, no I did not say that. I just said I’d like PSG to win it. What do I always say? Football is the winner. If Villa go through, I’ll be happy for the Villa.”
Aston Villa have tough task ahead v PSG
There is so much quality in the Parisians’ squad that is going to represent a huge danger for the Villans.
With that being said, Emery has his own weapons to deploy against the French side which will pose a potential issue for Enrique and Co.
Rashford has earned an England call-up and will certainly be keen to showcase himself at the Parc Des Princes once again, as he did multiple times with Manchester United.
| Stat | Marcus Rashford v PSG |
| Games played | 4 |
| Wins | 2 |
| Goals | 2 |
It will certainly be a high intensity clash but regardless of the result, the Villa supporters are delighted to have made it this far but will still be hopeful of securing a famous win against the Red and Blues.