For once, Paris Saint-Germain is doing something new. So often opposed to Barcelona, Real Madrid or Manchester City in recent years, the capital club is innovating in 2022. It will face Juventus, Benfica and Maccabi Haifa, as decided by the group draw on Thursday August 25. The European history of PSG is too rich to offer three new meetings, but these opponents bring a real breath of fresh air, in a C1 that is sometimes redundant during the group stage, as the posters are repeated.
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@mhfootballclub #UCLdraw pic.twitter.com/3Ewjpj7DDn— Paris Saint Germain (@PSG_inside) August 25, 2022
Since the arrival of the Qatari owners in 2011, only Benfica have faced PSG two years later. The Parisian workforce did not shine as much as today, and the band of Zlatan Ibrahimovic had stumbled in Lisbon, in December 2013 (2-1). The last trip to Turin dates back to 1997. Kylian Mbappé was not yet born to see this martyred Paris (9-2 on all two games) during the UEFA Super Cup.
Over the past decade, Parisians and Bianconeris have systematically avoided each other. A strange anomaly, since the two have systematically been at the rendezvous of the hens of C1. It was, with Atlético de Madrid, the only club of this caliber in this case. The affront repaired, PSG will have to take the measure of an opponent it has never beaten in eight confrontations.
Failing to cross swords on the meadow, the leaders of the two entities have largely collaborated on the transfer market. Three juventinis thus wore the Parisian jersey. The most emblematic of them, Angel Di Maria, who left PSG this summer, is starting his first campaign in Piedmont. It’s a safe bet that on his return to the Parc des Princes, the Argentinian will be acclaimed, as his seven years in red and blue have marked the supporters.
Adrien Rabiot, put aside and left cold with the Parisian management in 2019, should not have the same reception. It is still necessary that the midfielder remains at Juve and that Massimiliano Allegri decides to align him at the Park. Less striking, striker Moïse Kean – on loan to PSG during a 2020-21 season behind closed doors – will discover his former audience. In the meantime, perhaps, Leandro Paredes, still Parisian but announced close to a loan to Juve.
On the pitch, the Bianconeris should not constitute an insurmountable obstacle to the Parisians. Unlike Christophe Galtier’s already well-honed machine, Juventus is floundering at the start of the season. Moribund on the field of Sampdoria on Monday (0-0), the Old Lady remains on two 4th places in the league and on three eliminations in eighths of C1 in a row. In full transition, the club parted ways with De Ligt, Chiellini, Dybala, Morata and Bernardeschi in the offseason.
The arrivals of Bremer (Torino), Pogba (Manchester United) and Kostic (Eintracht Frankfurt) partly fill these gaps, but the transfer window is not yet over. Even if Dusan Vlahovic continues to pile up the goals (two against Sassuolo at the start), the vagueness surrounding the Turin workforce is not really trivial. Especially in a marked year, World Cup requires, by an early start of the C1.
The six group matches will be held between September and November. A delay in ignition, as was the case last year for Juventus (7th in Serie A at the end of November), could be detrimental. The absences of Federico Chiesa and Paul Pogba for the first group matches do not really improve the situation. Moreover, it is not impossible that this Old Lady in loss of bearings fights more with Benfica to play the supporting roles, so much Paris impresses.