The European games are thus made, it will have been necessary to wait almost a quarter of a century for PSG to find Juventus Turin on its European path. The last time the old lady came to Paris in January 1997, she simply humiliated the Parisian club 6 goals to 1 in the Uefa Super Cup (return match 3-1). This Tuesday at 9 p.m. at the Parc des Princes, the two clubs meet for the first day of Group H of the Champions League.
Is Paris ready for the shock?
If we look at the start of the PSG season, many lights are green. Leader of Ligue 1 with a fiery attack (24 goals scored), the team offers a pleasant game, the group seems to be living well and for captain Marquinhos his team is ready to challenge Juventus Turin “The team has worked well so far, it was the best preparation” explained the Brazilian to us at the end of the Nantes match then to continue “after the Champions League, we know that there is always a different context, these are separate matches. Good preparation has been made, but now you have to ensure by playing a great match at home to win.”
For his part, Kylian Mbappé was asked about PSG’s ambitions for this season in the Champions League: “I always want to win. My objective when I enter the field is to do everything to bring back victory. The Champions League is a very difficult competition, the big teams have strengthened themselves, they are ready and armed to win. We will fight with our weapons and do everything to go as far as possible.”
Important to note, this is the first time in a very long time that PSG have come to a full Champions League match. The squad is ready for this match.
First big test for Christophe Galtier
Since he arrived at PSG last July, everything has been going well for Christophe Galtier. His team is playing well, he is managing egos well for the moment, he is getting results but he knows it, everyone is waiting for him around the corner. His lack of experience on the European scene makes some PSG fans wince. The statistics are also terrible: of the 6 Champions League matches he has coached, Christophe Galtier has not managed to win a single match (1 draw and 5 defeats). Clearly, the Parisian coach is playing big on this first match because he also falls on the Italian strategist Massimiliano Allegri: “thehe pressure, I took it the day I accepted the role. Do I have extra pressure in this competition? No way. I want to play it, to show what we are capable of.”
Juventus arrives with “ex” of the PSG
At PSG, supporters are often wary of their “ex”. Former players like to make miseries at the capital club and beware, Juventus has four former PSG players: Adrien Rabiot, Angel Di Maria, Moses Keane and Leandro Paredes. These three will be keen to shine against Paris-Saint-Germain with whom it ended more or less well. It remains to be seen if they will be holders, Paredes discovers his new team, Rabiot is back from injury, Kean does not breathe health and Di Maria is finally forfeited. In any case ex or not, Marquinhos expects a complicated match against the bianconeri :
There are friends there, I played against them when I was in Italy, but it’s been a long time. The team has changed. There is always this Italian character, this physique, a lot of tactics. It’s a team that puts a lot of commitment. Don’t expect a quiet match, it will be a high-level match. We will have to negotiate it well, these are important points for qualification.
Same story with the Parisian coach, Christophe Galtier knows that Juventus does not breathe health but he is still wary: “Juve are said to be in trouble at the moment, but they are unbeaten in Serie A and have only conceded two goals. It is difficult to maneuver, it is hard to create situations. And then we often come back to it, the transitions, on which Juventus is very strong, with quality players who quickly take depth and Vlahovic at the forefront of the attack. I am confident about our ability to play, the players are starting to have benchmarks in our system. We will have to insist on our offensive animation.”