Champions League: Predicting Every PSG League Phase Match | OneFootball

For the 14th consecutive year, Paris Saint-Germain will be participating in Europe’s premier international tournament. And for the first time ever, they’ll be entering the competition as the reigning champions.

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PSG foud themselves in danger of missing out on the UEFA Champions League knockout roud after a dismal run that saw them lose to Arsenal, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich and draw to PSV Eindhoven, but they nevertheless won each of their last three matches of the league phase to confirm their spot in the knockout round playoffs, where they annihilated Brest 10-0 on aggregate. They brushed past Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Arsenal before demolishing Inter 5-0 in the final to secure their maiden title and yet another piece of silverware under Luis Enrique to go with their two domestic trebles.

Les Parisiens were unable to add to their trophy count in North America after losing 3-0 to Chelsea in the FIFA Club World Cup Final, but they would bounce back with an electrifying comeback win vs. Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Super Cup, before kicking off the Ligue 1 season with three wins in a row. Whilst they’ve been making headlines on the pitch, PSG has been rather quiet off the pitch with a relatively muted transfer window. Apart from third-choice goalkeeper Renato Marin, who arrived on a free transfer from Roma, and Lucas Chevalier, who replaced Gianluigi Donnarumma as the club’s starting goalkeeper, they’ve made just one signing. After striking up an impressive partnership alongside both Marcos Senesi and Dean Huijsen at Bournemouth, Illia Zabarnyi has started in two victories vs. Toulouse and Nantes alongside Lucas Beraldo in the middle of defense and shown plenty of signs of his quality.

PSG will return to action on September 14 with a home match against Lens, who have won each of their last two matches vs. Le Havre and Brest, before kicking off their Champions League defense at home against Atalanta. Today, we’re taking a look at PSG’s upcoming Champions League League Phase.

Atalanta BC (Home)

Normally, this would be a tough game for PSG, going up against a team that consistently finishes in the UEFA Champions League Final, that won last year’s UEFA Europa League, and that has emerged as a powerhouse in Serie A and Coppa Italia. But these are not normal circumstances for Atalanta, who sold top scorer Mateo Retegui and starting wingback Matteo Ruggeri and, above all, lost Gian Piero Gasperini. Over the course of nine years, Gasperini transformed Atalanta from a mediocre side to one of the best teams in Italy, before departing for Roma in the summer. They’ve also been without attacking talisman Ademola Lookman for their opening two matches, 1-1 draws to Pisa and Parma, with the Nigerian exploring a potential transfer away from Bergamo. We’re expecting Ivan Juric’s side to come undone against the reigning kings of Europe.

Prediction: Win (2-0)

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