Hosts Aston Villa looks to feed on fans' energy as PSG eyes UCL semi-final berth

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Unai Emery says his players can feed off the energy of their fans as Aston Villa seek to overturn a 3-1 deficit in Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain.

The newly crowned French champions came from a goal down at the Parc des Princes last week, with a stoppage-time Nuno Mendes strike changing the complexion of the tie.

"Our expectation is to get a good result in the second leg," Villa manager Emery told reporters on Monday. "Of course the fact that they won 3-1 is changing something.

"But a lot? No. Why? Because we have to win. We had to win with 2-1 and with 3-1 now. But now, we have to win with one more goal."

PSG have won 17 of their past 18 games in all competitions, the only exception being a 1-0 first-leg home defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League last 16, which they overturned at Anfield.

They have not lost by more than one goal since October and only once in 47 matches this season.

But Villa themselves are in good form -- they have won eight of their past nine matches in all competitions, with their only stumble coming in France last week.

Villa have not lost a Premier League or Champions League game at home since a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal in August -- the Gunners could be waiting for the victors in the semi-finals.

Emery said Villa's supporters could play a key role on Tuesday as they seek to extend their stay in a competition they last played in during the 1982/83 season.

"If we are connecting with our supporters, if we are transmitting energy, positive energy, if we are playing more or less, getting tactically and individually good things on the field, the supporters, they are going to add to us their energy, they are going to help us a lot, and they are going to transmit to us the energy," said the Spaniard.

"And always for our players playing at home, with the energy they can receive from the supporters, is something adding positivity."

'We came to win'

Emery, who has previously managed PSG, said his team competed well in Paris as he hones his plans for the second leg of the quarter-final.

"If we are winning, we can be close," he said. "And our objective is to try to play with one strong plan, strong plan in our tactical way tomorrow, and then try to be consistent."

He added: "If we are getting extra time, fantastic. And if we are getting a penalty shootout, it could be maybe fantastic as well."

Meanwhile, PSG star Ousmane Dembele, their leading scorer this season with 32 goals in all competitions, insisted the swashbuckling French champions would not swap their attacking approach for a more conservative one in England.

"We didn't come here to speculate. We came to win another match and we are not going to change our way of playing," said the France forward, dismissing suggestions they could try to sit on their first-leg lead.

Read morePSG win record-extending 13th Ligue 1 title with win over Angers

Unlike Villa, PSG had a weekend off to prepare for this match, their Ligue 1 meeting with Nantes being postponed until April 22, with Dembele saying he was "bored" without a game.

The visitors can welcome back captain Marquinhos in defence after he sat out the first leg due to suspension.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

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