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Emery: ‘Not enough time’ to try Rashford, Watkins partnership (1:39)
Unai Emery reveals the “next step” is to play Marcus Rashford and Ollie Watkins together ahead of Aston Villa’s Champions League tie vs. PSG. (1:39)
Apr 14, 2025, 02:25 PM ET
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery suggested there isn’t time to unleash Marcus Rashford and Ollie Watkins as a strike partnership against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday.
Villa needs to overturn a 3-1 deficit from the first leg when the teams meet at Villa Park, but Emery does not think England internationals Rashford and Watkins can play as a front two yet.
“The next step, if I have time, is to play them together,” Emery told a news conference Monday. “We did with Rashford playing left side, but now we are choosing more with both playing as strikers. That’s the next step. I want to practice. I want to test, but not now, with enough time.”
Rashford has impressed during a loan spell from Manchester United, with three goals in recent weeks. Watkins has scored 15 this season, including one to set up a 3-0 win against Southampton on Saturday after coming on as a substitute.
Emery said Watkins feels “fantastic,” but he is still to decide what team to play against French champion PSG.
“I don’t have my idea in my mind for the starting 11, I have my idea, a plan, overall 90 minutes or extra-time or penalty shootout for the match tomorrow,” he said. “Every player has to know their task on the field, and they have to understand as well, how we manage the match emotionally and tactically as well, in case they are on the field to do their task.”
Emery said his players have to believe they can produce an epic comeback to book their place in the semifinals.
England teammates Ollie Watkins and Marcus Rashford are playing together at club level with Aston Villa. Getty Images
“We want to write here the history with Aston Villa,” he said.
Despite their two-goal advantage, Emery’s opposite number in the PSG dugout was quick to brush off any suggestions that his team was favourites to advance to the semifinals.
“Of course, we were better in the first leg and deserved the win, but that story is behind us. Now a second story begins. We’ll see who’s better, who’s going to win,” said PSG coach Luis Enrique. “We have that advantage, but it doesn’t fit in with our philosophy of thinking with certainty. We still have this idea of not calculating.
“If Aston Villa score or win, we have to show in this match that we have the level required to reach the semifinals.”
Luis Enrique added that he expected the home supporters to create a daunting atmosphere at Villa Park, but called on his side to embrace the challenge.
“We want to try to solve the problems that Aston Villa are going to present us with,” he added. “Our objective is to win. For us, it’s always about being competitive in a stadium like Villa Park. We like to play at home and away. It’s not a problem but a motivation.”
Information from Reuters and The Associated Press was used in this story.
