Unai Emery will never be a natural gambler, but he may have to take a risk of Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio to get the chance to reach the semi -final of the Champions League.
Since the lending stars of Aston Villa arrived in the winter, Emery has been reluctant to take both of the off. He did this in the FA Cup wins on Preston and Cardiff, but opposite a team in the lower half of the championship is one thing, with one of the Champions League favorites something completely different.
In most circumstances, Emery is good to be careful. One of his favorite words is 'structure' and when Asensio and Rashford stand on the field together, Villa watch loose without the ball. Rashford does not put pressure on center backs and deep-lying midfielders such as Ollie Watkins. Asensio misses the physicality of John McGinn.
But with Morgan Rogers who encouraged Villa to 'go for it' while trying to destroy a 3-1 deficit against Paris Saint-Germain, Emery will be tempted to turn to his two most famous outfield players. In particular, Asensio – who is owned by PSG – will be desperate to prove a point against his parent club and add to the eight goals he has already scored for Villa.
And while Rashford looks a player after his exile from Manchester United, the 27-year-old was able to do with a decisive performance against a rival of the top class. Goals against Preston and Brighton are fun, but they don't pay the bills.
With matches against Newcastle and Manchester City to follow the second stage against PSG, as well as the FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace, Rashford has many opportunities to turn a useful loan spell into a special loan.
Emery's team for Saturday's collision with Southampton will show us his thinking. For the match of last weekend against Nottingham Forest, the Villa boss made eight changes. It was then clear who would play in the Parc des Princes and yes, Emery chose the same starting XI who won 3-0 a week ago in Brighton.
But next week is different. Villa will need magic next week. Including Asensio and Rashford creates problems elsewhere in the team from the start – but it can also cause a few problems for PSG boss Luis Enrique.
McGinn had a strong match in Paris, which inspired the movement that led to the first half of Morgan Rogers by keeping Nuno Mendes off the ball and holding his position well against the twin threat of Vitinha and Joao Neves in midfield.
Asensio misses the attributes to fulfill that role, but he can do things with the ball that McGinn cannot. The Spaniard is an excellent technician – allow him time and space on his left foot and he will punish someone. When he is in the team, PSG's midfielders and full-backs may have to pay more attention to their defensive responsibilities.
As for Rashford, Emery used it through the middle in recent competitions, but when Rashford joined, Emery saw him as a left wing player. With Rashford against him instead of Jacob Ramsey, Achraf Hakimi would be a little less sure of himself, especially with Watkins, Asensio and Rogers also in the team.
Emery fought hard to bring Rashford to Villa and has effectively worked with attackers during his career. Since the 27-year-old moved from Old Trafford to Villa, Emery has been very careful when he spoke about him, but he showed unusual warmth when he was asked about Rashford for the first stage in Paris.
“He is a good guy documents, a very good professional, and he is really happy with his teammates,” said Emery. “He asks himself in himself and with everything we want to work with him with the team.
“He plays for free, he feels comfortable and this is the most important thing. First we try to make contact with him with him as a person, and then as a player.
'His process gets better here and plays in two different positions. He started with us as a left wing and now he plays more as a striker. It's about how he can use his qualities if he can.
'There is still work to do, but the most important thing is his feeling. We see him smiling and it's the best news we can have. I see him happy, dedicated to everything we do and now it's just to see him play. '
Emery has been enthusiastic about Asensio in the same way. Can he really start both next week? It might be the only chance of Villa.