Aston Villla boss Unai Emery can exorcise demons on return to Paris Saint-Germain

It was his fellow Spaniard, after all, who was in the opposing dugout on the worst night of his managerial career.

March 8, 2017, Barcelona 6 Paris Saint-Germain 1, an occasion forever remembered in Spain as La Remontada, the Comeback, after the Catalan club scored three times in the final seven minutes to snatch a 6-5 aggregate win.

Emery spent two years in charge at the Parc des Princes, winning five domestic trophies but it is that result, which remains the biggest collapse in Champions League history, for which he will forever be remembered.

Even more than eight years on, it remains shocking. A tie which was supposed to represent a changing of the European football order, after PSG had cruised to a 4-0 first leg win, instead came to characterise a club with a reputation of blowing it on the biggest stage.

What makes it even more unfathomable is it happened under Emery, one of sport’s knockout specialists who has won 35 of his 44 ties. The majority of those came in the Europa League and the barb he is not a manager for the very top level is one which continues to be repeated in France.

Returning to Paris with Villa, the first time he has faced his former club since leaving in 2018, therefore represents a chance to prove a few doubters wrong and exorcise a rather large demon.

Not that you are going to hear Emery admitting it as a source of added motivation, in the same way he will forever describe meetings with Arsenal in the Premier League as simply another match. But just as his celebrations when twice beating the Gunners last season seemed that little more pointed, so you know getting one over on his former employers would add even greater satisfaction to achieving what would rank among the greatest results in Villa’s history.

There is some irony to the fact PSG are now finally starting to appear serious Champions League contenders after allowing Enrique the kind of control Emery craved.

He was hardly the only boss whose tenure felt deeply unsatisfying. Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino and even serial winner Carlo Ancelotti were all unable to deliver the kind of success the club’s Qatari owners craved. Moulding a collection of star names into an effective unit proved beyond some of Europe’s most successful coaching minds.

“At Manchester City, Pep Guardiola is in charge. At PSG, Neymar has to be,” remarked Emery, shortly after his own departure.

Now the individual names are gone, replaced by a team with an impressive work ethic who simply proved too strong for Premier League champions-elect Liverpool over two legs last month.

“The team will play better,” Enrique declared last summer when Kylian Mbappe moved to Real Madrid.

He was right. In France, PSG have never been more dominant. Crowned champions once again after last weekend’s win at Angers, Enrique’s team have the chance to go through the league season unbeaten. Wednesday night will be the 54-year-old’s 100th match in charge and no predecessor can come close to his record of 2.30 points-per-game.

Another domestic treble is on, yet it is the Champions League which remains the Holy Grail and the biggest remaining ambition. 

Similarities between the two bosses extend well beyond nationality. Like Emery, Enrique is notoriously intense, forever impressing on his players the importance of structure. Between the pair, there is only mutual respect.

"It's a joy to see him again," Enrique said at Wednesday's pre-match press conference. "Our friendship was built through direct duels. It's a joy to meet one of the coaches with the greatest European career. 

"He's a great coach and Aston Villa, a great team, who progressed under Emery, are at this level because of their own merit."

The pleasantries will stop at kick-off. Enrique's work has one of the world’s richest club believing this can be the year they achieve a goal which, considering the investment, many would have expected long ago.

A familiar face is now out to stop them.