Emery is optimistic that Aston Villa can defeat PSG, with last season's experience serving as their capital.

Aston Villa did not travel to Asia solely for a pre-season tour. Manager Unai Emery is using every single match as preparation ahead of their biggest fixture before the new campaign kicks off: the UEFA Super Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

The Spanish head coach is optimistic his side has a genuine chance to beat the reigning Champions League winners.

The Aston Villa vs PSG fixture is scheduled to take place on 13 August. This encounter will pit the Europa League champions against the Champions League title holders for the UEFA Super Cup trophy.

While acknowledging the quality of their opponents, Emery stressed that his team will not be travelling just to make up the numbers. He believes the experience of facing PSG last season will be crucial preparation for Aston Villa to compete once again at Europe's highest level.

"PSG are one of the best teams in the world right now, led by one of the best managers on the planet. We will give everything to compete as hard as possible with the squad we currently have. This is our first big test," stated Emery ahead of the match against Indonesia All Stars in Jakarta.

He also emphasised that the UEFA Super Cup is only the start of Aston Villa's long journey this season. Following this final, the squad's main focus will remain on domestic competitions and the UEFA Champions League.

"What comes after this final is extremely important: how we manage the entire upcoming season, especially in the Premier League. Finishing at the top end of the table remains our number one priority. We will also embrace the Champions League, and fight to compete properly in that tournament too," he added.

This upcoming match against PSG will mark the third meeting between the two sides in the last 12 months. Prior to this, the clubs faced off in the quarter-final stage of last season's UEFA Champions League.

Aston Villa suffered a 1-3 defeat in the first leg of that tie. However, Emery's side produced an impressive response in the return fixture, securing a 3-2 victory.

Unfortunately this result was not enough to send Villa through, as they exited the competition with an aggregate 4-5 scoreline. Despite the elimination, Emery stated both matches provided invaluable lessons for his squad.

"Over those two matches we came extremely close to beating them. That experience is invaluable for us, for myself and for every player, to truly believe we have the ability to compete at this level," he explained.

Ahead of the PSG final, Aston Villa will play several more pre-season fixtures to sharpen match readiness. One of these is the clash against Indonesia All Stars at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta, on Saturday evening 1 August.

Emery stated that this match in Indonesia forms a key part of the process to build player fitness, as well as refine on-pitch chemistry between the squad ahead of the competitive season.

"Over this 10-12 day period we will face them. This is without doubt a very special fixture for us. We will enjoy the occasion, prepare properly, and compete. We will work to build our team as well as we possibly can, even though we acknowledge we are not yet at peak condition right now," said Emery.

The Indonesia All Stars fixture is Aston Villa's fourth pre-season match. Prior to this, the Birmingham-based club opened their pre-season schedule with a 5-0 victory over Walsall.

Following that win, Villa suffered back-to-back defeats: falling 1-2 to Porto then 2-4 against Real Sociedad.

After departing Jakarta, Aston Villa will continue their Asian tour in Thailand to face BG Pathum United on 4 August. Three days later they are scheduled to take on Bayern Munich, before travelling for the UEFA Super Cup fixture.