Maghnes Akliouche and Lucas Digne named in Paris Saint-Germain squad for UEFA Super Cup

Maghnes Akliouche and Lucas Digne have been included in the Paris Saint-Germain squad for Wednesday’s UEFA Super Cup against Aston Villa in Salzburg.

Paris Saint-Germain will face Aston Villa in a meeting between the winners of Europe’s two major club competitions. Paris Saint-Germain qualified as UEFA Champions League holders, while Aston Villa lifted the UEFA Europa League.

The French club confirmed the arrivals of both Digne and Akliouche in recent days, and they have now been named in the squad for their first major fixture of the new season.

Paris Saint-Germain’s full group of players has been selected for the match, with the club reporting no injury concerns as the campaign begins. The availability of the entire squad means manager Luis Enrique has a complete group from which to choose for the contest against Aston Villa.

The match will be refereed by Somali official Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who has been appointed to take charge of the 2026 UEFA Super Cup.

Artan’s selection follows coordination between UEFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF), as part of the co-operation agreement between the two organisations, according to UEFA’s official website.

The appointment makes Artan the first non-European referee to oversee a UEFA Super Cup final. It represents a notable moment for the 34-year-old official, who is regarded as one of the leading referees in African football.

Artan was included on the list of referees for the 2026 FIFA World Cup but was unable to take part because he was not permitted to enter the United States. He has been on FIFA’s international referees list since 2018.

His previous appointments have included several high-profile matches. Among them was the second leg of the 2025-26 CAF Champions League final, while he was also named Africa’s best referee for 2025.

The UEFA Super Cup brings together the winners of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League and will be played in Salzburg on Wednesday. Paris Saint-Germain will therefore begin the new season with the chance to add another European trophy, while Aston Villa will seek to mark their Europa League success with victory over the reigning Champions League holders.

Akliouche and Digne’s inclusion gives the Paris Saint-Germain squad two additional options for the opening European fixture of the campaign. With every player available, the club will travel to the match without an injury-enforced omission from its squad.