Here’s our saga. The 5 good reasons to follow a match (with some adaptations). We’ll take a look at what’s attractive before each match, with a mix of seriousness and humor. Mind you, this is not an exhaustive tour of the subject. We continue here with Paris Saint-Germain’s match this Wednesday against Girona at the Parc des Princes, as part of Day 1 of the Champions League 2024-2025 league phase (kick-off 9pm, broadcast on Canal+).
5. Discovering Girona.
The surprise package of the 2023-2024 Liga, Girona are playing in their first Champions League. It’s a new opponent to discover, perhaps to “appreciate” for its style of play or otherwise. Even if some of the key players from last season’s superb campaign have left. In any case, it’s a nice change of pace.
4. The launch of the new formula.
It started yesterday, but it’s PSG’s entry into the new Champions League format. It’s still a little confusing. But it could still be a success. There’s no doubt that the final days will be exciting, with a lot to follow. For the moment, we clearly need to take points to avoid worrying.
3. Safonov ready?
Gianluigi Donnarumma (25-year-old goalkeeper) has a thigh injury, so he’s out of the Paris squad for this match. He will probably be replaced by rookie Matvey Safonov (25), although Arnau Tenas (23) is an option.
There’s a certain amount of curiosity about the Russian, who remains little-known in France. This match could be a good test, even if it’s unwise to judge a player on a single match.
2. A fine start to the season to be confirmed.
PSG’s first Ligue 1 games have been interesting collectively, although there are obviously still areas for improvement. We’ll have to keep up the good momentum tonight when the Champions League kicks off, a different world.
Even if we know that a victory would only lead observers to expect “a big one” in the competition. That will be Arsenal on Matchday 2 in 2 weeks’ time, so we might as well get our confidence up right away.
1. It’s the Champions League.
The new format may be unsettling, it may not be to everyone’s liking… but the competition is launched anyway. We’re all familiar with its prestige, the difficulty of each match and the desire to see PSG go far. It would be a shame to miss out on what could be a historic epic.
