The Champions League is back. And for their first away trip of the season, Paris Saint-Germain face a formidable challenge as they take on Manchester City, currently top of the Premier League with six wins from six matches. The Citizens have already come through some difficult away fixtures against Manchester United (0–1) and Liverpool (0–3) last weekend, emerging victorious in impressive fashion. On Matchday 1 of the Champions League, Enzo Maresca’s side secured a comfortable 2–0 win away to Porto, further cementing their status as contenders for the trophy.
Although Paris Saint-Germain endured a more challenging start to the season, they now appear to be gradually hitting their stride. Wins away at Brest (0–1) and Marseille (1–2) before the international break were followed by a 3–1 victory over Le Mans on Saturday, as the Rouge et Bleu continue their climb up the Ligue 1 table. In Europe, PSG made a perfect start to their campaign with a convincing 6–1 victory over Slovan Bratislava. However, this Wednesday, the club from the capital will face an opponent of an entirely different calibre in what will be their biggest test of the season so far.
4 – Manchester City are unbeaten in their four home matches against Paris Saint-Germain in European competition, recording three wins and one draw.
11 – Paris Saint-Germain are unbeaten in their last 11 Champions League matches, with seven wins and four draws. Their only longer unbeaten run in the competition came between October 2012 and November 2013, when they went 13 matches without defeat.
31 – Ousmane Dembélé has been directly involved in 31 goals in 41 Champions League appearances for Paris Saint-Germain, scoring 20 goals and providing 11 assists. This is the fifth-highest total for a Parisian player in the competition.
In goal for Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain will come up against Gianluigi Donnarumma, who is, of course, expected to be preferred to former Marseille goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli. The Italian international will have a central defensive partnership in front of him consisting of captain Rúben Dias and Marc Guéhi. The former remains one of the Citizens’ key leaders, while the latter has become an essential part of the England starting eleven. Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis are therefore expected to start on the bench, with Matheus Nunes lining up at right-back.
The Portuguese international has established himself as a regular starter, ahead of Rico Lewis in a clearly defined pecking order. The situation is less settled on the left side of Manchester City’s defence. Although Nico O’Reilly started in the most recent big clash against Liverpool, it is Josko Gvardiol who is expected to start against Les Parisiens. Competition between the two players is fierce, leaving little playing time for former Angers player Rayan Aït-Nouri.
Having arrived from Chelsea this summer, Enzo Fernández has settled in remarkably quickly and will, of course, be a key figure in midfield.
The same applies to Elliot Anderson, another major signing for the Citizens during the summer transfer window. The England international appears to have the edge over Ayyoub Bouaddi, who should nevertheless feature against the Rouge et Bleu and could well shake up Enzo Maresca’s pecking order over the coming months. Experienced midfielder Mateo Kovacic, meanwhile, has more ground to make up, but remains an option for the English side as the match progresses.
Further forward, Phil Foden has returned to the Manchester City squad. However, having struggled for match fitness in recent weeks, the England international is expected to start on the bench, with Rayan Cherki likely to take his place in the starting line-up. The French international, who came through the academy at Lyon, has become one of the key creative forces in the Citizens’ game and will be one of Manchester City’s players to watch. Could Jérémy Doku be just as influential? The Belgian international has yet to start a match this season because of a calf injury, but his electrifying substitute appearance at Anfield last Sunday could change the picture and potentially cost Iliman Ndiaye his place in the starting eleven. As for Antoine Semenyo, the Ghanaian international is expected to be on the pitch from kick-off, alongside the ever-present Erling Haaland. Having already scored twice on Matchday 1 of the Champions League, the Norwegian striker will undoubtedly pose Manchester City’s greatest threat on Wednesday evening.
