UEFA Champions League preview: PSG vs Manchester United

Neymar reportedly tells PSG - he wants Barcelona transfer this summer

PSG will host Manchester United in their first game of the Champions League this season

Stadium: Parc des Princes

Key Statistics

  • The last meeting between these two sides in the Champions League 2018/19 season ended in a win for Manchester United, who overturned their 2-0 deficit to a 3-1 win against PSG in the second leg round of 16.
  • PSG hold an impeccable record in the UCL group stage since the 2012/13 season, winning all of their 24 games.
  • Man Utd will be facing a French side in the Champions League group stage for the first time since the 2005/06 season.

Paris Saint-Germain

PSG will try to make amendments for what happened between them and Manchester United in their previous meeting.

The French giants ended as the runners up after losing to Bayern Munich in the Champions League finals last season.

Thomas Tuchel’s side had a sluggish start to the season but have picked up the momentum with a series of wins in Ligue 1.

Neymar, who was absent in the previous encounter, will be playing his first game against Manchester United. Thomas Tuchel will miss the services of midfielder Leandro Paredes, Marco Verratti however Ander Herrera is available to play against his former club.

Paris Saint-GermainPossible line-up

Navas; Florenzi, Marquinhos, Kimpembe, Kurzawa; Herrera, Danilo, Rafinha; Di María, Mbappé, Neymar

Unavailable players

Bernat (knee), Icardi (knee), Kehrer (groin), Paredes (thigh), Verratti (thigh)

Doubtful

Draxler (hamstring), Marquinhos (groin),

We were super-strong team last season. We have to prove that we can do as well in this new campaign. I am very happy with Presnel Kimpembe. He plays very well in big matches. He has found his level, and it’s an exceptional level. In the Champions League, we are a very dangerous team. At this level it is very hard to create opportunities and to score.

I hope that Marquinhos and Julian Draxler can play with us tomorrow. Mauro Icardi, Marco Verratti, Leandro Paredes, Thilo Kehrer and Juan Bernat won’t be available.

Thomas Tuchel, Paris coach

Manchester United

Man Utd earned their place in the Champions League after finishing third in the Premier League last season.

The Red Devils, who have had a disastrous start to this season, picked up a morale-boosting win against Newcastle United in the weekend.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be leading the Red Devils in the Champions League for the second time in three seasons, having been knocked out previously by Barcelona in the quarter-finals of 2018/19 season.

New signings Facundo Pellestri and Alex Telles are also included in the squad to face PSG.

Manchester UnitedPossible line-up

De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelöf, Tuanzebe, Shaw; Matić, Pogba, Mata, Bruno Fernandes, Rashford; Martial

Unavailable players

Maguire (unspecified), Greenwood (unspecified), Cavani (match fitness), Bailly (unspecified), Lingard (unspecified)

Doubtful

Tuanzebe (foot)

Of course that [the win against Paris in 2019] is history for us, it is in the past. Great history, but it has no impact whatsoever on this game. We are different, they are different and it is a different stage of the competition.

Everyone wants to be in the Champions League and we have drawn one finalist, RB Leipzig were semi-finalists and we’ve got the pleasure of welcoming Rafael back [with İstanbul Başakşehir]. A fantastic group for us. This is first time for this team to play against the best. This [game] will probably be our biggest test so far.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Manchester United Manager