‘Ollie Watkins can thrive for Aston Villa v PSG’ after what happened last time
Ollie Watkins will be confident to prove himself at Aston Villa in the second leg against PSG on Tuesday.
The Villans are set to welcome the Ligue 1 giants to Villa Park on 15 April with the hope of overturning a 3-1 aggregate deficit.
Unai Emery appears to be optimistic of securing a positive result against his former side in B6 and earning a spot in the Champions League semi-finals.
The Spaniard will need to get the best out of his side with hopes set to be piled on Watkins, who needs to prove his worth in claret and blue.
Watkins can take advantage of Lucas Beraldo v PSG
It has been a difficult few weeks for the England international, who has struggled for regular minutes for Villa since mid-March.
This could be set to change in the Champions League as the striker could earn a start against the Parisians ahead of Marcus Rashford in B6.
If that is to be the case, the 29-year-old needs to showcase his best form, as he did against Southampton last time out in the Premier League.
| Stat | Ollie Watkins v Southampton |
| Minutes played | 24 |
| Goals scored | 1 |
| Penalties won | 1 |
| Duels win rate (%) | 100 |
Watkins came off the bench with just 24 minutes to go and was able to open the scoring, win a penalty and win 100 per cent of his duels at St Mary’s [FotMob].
This could see him get the better of Beraldo, who arguably was the worst-performing Parisian defender in the first leg of the quarter-final.
The 21-year-old won just 50 per cent of his duels while also winning zero per cent of his tackles, which could serve Watkins well at Villa Park.
Emery could also look to take advantage of the Brazilian as he failed to complete his one dribble attempt at the Parc Des Princes, which the Villans could pounce on.
Watkins must perform for Aston Villa v PSG
There is a weakness there which Watkins could look to exploit, and that could be the difference between going out without a whimper and making the tie interesting.
Everyone will have to be on song, from Emi Martinez to Morgan Rogers, if the B6 club are going to have any chance against the Ligue 1 champions.
Watkins could prove to have the biggest influence of all if he is to be on form and get on the scoresheet once again.
It will certainly be interesting to see if Emery trusts him from the start and whether he can get the better of the PSG defence.