The reigning UEFA Champions League champions, PSG, and the UEFA Europa League champions, Aston Villa, will go head to head at the 2026 UEFA Super Cup. However, Emiliano Martinez won’t be the starting goalkeeper for the Villains, but not because of injury.
In his last outing for Aston Villa, Martinez kept a clean sheet as the Villains thrashed Freiburg 3-0 to crown themselves Europa League champions. During warmups for that final, “Dibu” suffered a fracture to the ring finger on his right hand, which prevented him from being at 100% during the 2026 World Cup. However, that’s not why Martinez will miss the UEFA Super Cup against PSG.
Instead, Martinez is still away from the team on vacation after reaching the World Cup final on July 19. Far from being controversial for the team, however, it was agreed upon with head coach Emery, who confirmed that “Dibu” won’t be part of Aston Villa’s starting lineup against PSG—and won’t even be on the squad for the Super Cup.
Emery confirms Martinez is unavailable for Super Cup
“Emiliano Martinez is wrapping up his holidays this week,” Emery admitted about Martinez’s status during Aston Villa’s press conference ahead of the UEFA Super Cup matchup against PSG. The Argentine goalkeeper won’t be the only notable absentee, either.
Emiliano “Dibu” Martinez of Aston Villa.
In addition, English internationals Ezri Konsa and Ollie Watkins are also on holiday after being part of the Three Lions’ squad that won bronze at the 2026 World Cup. As Emery explained, the three players who reached the latter stages of the tournament were given a four-week break. Aston Villa expect the trio to be back next week.
Maybe it will come back to bite the Villains, who need all the help they can get against European kings PSG. Still, Villa were always going to be underdogs, and this may serve as even more fuel for them.
Who will replace Martinez in goal?
With Martinez unavailable to Emery and his staff, all signs point to Marco Bizot protecting the net for the Villains against the Parisiens. The Dutch goalkeeper appeared in four games for Villa during the 2025-26 UEFA Europa League, all of them during the league phase, and conceded only one goal in a 2-1 win over FC Basel.
