Aston Villa beat Barcelona 3–1 on aggregate in its previous UEFA Super Cup appearance.
That earlier appearance came in the 1982 edition, although both legs were played in January 1983. Barcelona won the first leg 1–0 at Camp Nou, leaving Villa needing a comeback in the return match at Villa Park.
Aston Villa produced that comeback by winning the second leg 3–0 after extra time. Gary Shaw, Gordon Cowans and Ken McNaught scored the goals that overturned Barcelona’s first-leg advantage. Villa finished the match with ten men, while Barcelona ended with nine.
The result gave Aston Villa its first Super Cup title and remained its only previous appearance until the 2026 match against Paris Saint-Germain. The 44-year gap between Villa’s two appearances was therefore one of the notable historical features surrounding the Salzburg final.