A life-size test. Still far from its best form, PSG has been content to show off so far. Already having the second part of the season in mind, Luis Enrique prefers to take care of the physical condition of his players and take the time to instill his particular precepts in the recruits rather than regularly lining up the same 11 to create a dynamic.
The proof with the (very) careful management of Ousmane Dembélé, resting at the end of August and again last week. Facing Manchester City, at the Etihad Stadium, this Wednesday (9 p.m., Canal+), during the 2nd day of the Champions League, there will however be no question of turnovers, of keeping something under control or of thinking about the next match.
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After an inaugural stroll against a weak team from Slovan Bratislava (6-1), the Parisians enter the heart of the matter with their first European shock of the season. A City team that has changed a lot since the 4-2 victory in January 2025, at the Parc des Princes. Exit Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Ederson and of course Pep Guardiola. Welcome Enzo Fernandez, Ayyoub Bouaddi or Rayan Cherki, without forgetting Enzo Maresca on the bench. More than 500 million euros spent last summer on Skyblues which received a makeover after the end of the Guardiola era.
Expensive transfer window
Evil tongues will say that City, found guilty of 114 breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations, broke the bank this summer to anticipate possible sanctions. “All your stars are fading”, “Cheaters”, “A generation of supporters have been cheated”: in Liverpool on Sunday, the Citizens were treated to a taste of what awaits them for the rest of the season in England. A match that they nevertheless won 3-0, tending to demonstrate that they are not more disturbed than that.
Also read Manchester City affair: understand everything about the financial scandal that is shaking the Citizens and England
Victorious in Porto to launch their C1 campaign, the men of Maresca, under the UAE flag, will approach this “Golfico” against “Qatar-SG” as leaders in the English standings, while the Parisians are sixth in L1, but only 3 points behind the Monegasque leader. The state of health of the two teams in the championship will, however, have no impact on this poster in the form of a star track, with Erling Haaland once again on the road to a PSG which will also find a certain Gigio Donnarumma.
Donnarumma, the reunion
Winner of the C1 with Paris in 2025, after an exceptional second half of the season, the Italian goalkeeper was exfiltrated to City. He will undoubtedly make a point of remembering the good memories of Luis Enrique, who was looking for a “different goalkeeper profile” and had preferred to bet on… Lucas Chevalier, before falling back on Matvey Safonov. We can say what we want about his kicking game, but on his line, the Italian remains the world number 1.
Ousmane Dembélé, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Désiré Doué, Ferran Torres and others will have to get up early to catch him short. But PSG knows how to do it in England: under Luis Enrique, the Rouge et Bleu have become the bête noire of the Premier League: Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool... have all suffered the law of double European champions. And it was precisely against City that Paris SG definitively changed gear, at the start of 2025. Magical evening, suspended moment and real shift for Luis Enrique's men, who however have never won at the Etihad. Paris first?
