Paris Saint-Germain vs Juventus. Prediction and Preview. Probable Lineups, Team News, Stats and more
Paris Saint-Germain will host Juventus in the UEFA Champions League group stage match at the Parc des Princes. The fixture will take place on September 7, beginning at 00:30 IST.
Parimatchnews will tell you everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming match.
Paris Saint-Germain News & Current Form:
PSG have been striving for a Champions League trophy for a number of seasons now, but so far without success, despite high-profile transfers and managerial reshuffles. The transfer saga with one of world football’s biggest stars, Kylian Mbappé, finally came to an end this summer. The Frenchman remains in Paris, the management has gone ‘all-in’ and the 23 year old striker could not refuse the offered terms. Given the mind-boggling amount of money on the table, the childhood dream, Real Madrid, had to be put on hold for a couple of years. Overall, the Sheikhs have already seemingly taken all the necessary steps to finally obtain the coveted UCL, putting all hope in the upcoming campaign.
Christophe Galtier now leads the team, facing all the same objectives and having significant funds allocated by the management to improve the already impressive squad.
The former coach of AS Saint-Etienne (1.56 points per match), LOSC Lille (1.74 PPM), OGC Nice (1.84 points per match) has certainly established himself in France, installing attractive football and achieving great results – including winning the Ligue 1 in season 20/21 with the Lillois, leaving Les Parisiens behind. The Frenchman has literally managed to rebuild the Northmen from the ruins, after the club had nearly been relegated to Ligue 2 in the 17/18 season. Starting from the disastrous state of things in the middle of the season, he has created that success bit by bit with his own hands.
By European standards, however, Galtier cannot yet be called a top coach. The placement is unusual, as it is unclear how long he will be in charge, given the specificity of work in the team of such a caliber – the required ability to cope with the massive egos of superstars. Even Mauricio Pochettino apparently failed to handle it.
The main acquisition is Fabian Ruiz from Napoli, and the Parisians also signed Carlos Soler from Valencia in an attempt to strengthen the midfield. Nordi Mukiele, who was lured in from RB Leipzig, is called upon to help in defense. Renato Sanches, well known to Christophe from the cooperation at Lille, also came to provide additional options in the middle of the pitch.
In spite of reports from Paris about numerous scandals, in terms of football and results, all is quiet in the French capital. PSG have already made it clear to their Ligue 1 rivals at the start of the season that they have no chance of gold. But, let’s be honest, they simply have no right for any other scenario. Only AS Monaco were able to miraculously contain the trio of Neymar, Mbappe and Messi and hold the game to a draw – in the remaining matches, Christopher Galtier’s team were brutal and crushed their opponents with an aggregate goal difference 24-4. The Parisians also managed to win the Super Cup (Trophée des Champions) earlier in the season against Nantes (4-0).
The statistics of the triumvirate is astonishing: Neymar alone has collected 15 productive points (goal + assists) this season, scoring nine goals and providing six assists. Mbappe has seven goals and Lionel Messi has 4+6.
However, the domestic league is not something the team leaders are interested in. Winning the Champions League is their ultimate, as yet unfulfilled, dream. In general, the Frenchman made the European cup the main target in his policy statement when he signed his new contract.
Last season’s UEFA Champions League campaign ended for PSG as early as in the last eight, when Pochettino’s side lost in a tense encounter to eventual champions Real Madrid.
Juventus News & Current Form:
With the seemingly glorious arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo, the Turin club just unexpectedly began to regress (something we saw in the case of Man Utd as well), losing twice to the Scudetto and, in the Champions League, not getting past the 1/8 stage for a long time. Now, the Portuguese is gone, but the problems are still there.
From the very beginning of the last season, Juventus appeared unlikely to be in contention for the Scudetto – it was obvious that the team were in crisis.
The Old Lady has been showing lackluster football, producing inconsistent results. In the winter, however, management made a decisive attempt to turn the situation around by injecting money for spot-fixing: Dušan Vlahović (€81.60m) and Denis Zakaria (€8.60m) came to help the team. These transfers helped the team shake things up, and using the crisis of Atalanta B.C. they even managed to secure a place in the Champions League.
Their performance in the premier European club tournament was in tune with the general trend for the season, as the Zebras crashed out at the hands of Villarreal in the last eight.
Now, Allegri and Co. are determined to bring about a serious turnaround.
This summer’s transfer campaign has been literally manifesting that things will change. Paul Pogba returned to the team as a free agent, with Angel Di Maria moving in the same status. Arkadiusz Milik and Leandro Paredes were loaned from Marseille and PSG, while for Bremer from Torino they had to put €40m on the table, with Filip Kostic costing far less, as Eintracht earned just €12m by selling the Serb.
But so far they all are not saving the situation. The Turin side have been struggling to pick up points, albeit without any obvious collapses so far. On the last matchday, the Bianconeri clinched one point with great difficulty against Fiorentina in Florence, a 1-1 draw that marked their third of the season. The focus at the moment is on defensive play, a style that is not particularly impressive but which is getting results.
Massimiliano Allegri has his reasons for playing this way and there are reasons to be angry as well. The injury blow is very worrying. Right now, Paul Pogba, Federico Chiesa, Wojciech Szczęsny, Marley Ake, Kaio Jorge, Angel Di Maria are all sidelined.
In addition, a whole bunch of quality players have left: Paulo Dybala, Giorgio Chiellini, Federico Bernardeschi, Douglas Costa, Aaron Ramsey. They all have departed for free. Only Matteis De Ligt was sold for a considerable sum to Bayern, while injury- prone Arthur Melo was sent on loan to Liverpool. Basically, the logical squad refresh and rethinking of the playing style from last season is still underway, but there is no positive momentum as of now.
A Champions League match against the likes of PSG is a wildcard with a predictable outcome. The Zebras approach the first leg of the group stage as underdogs.
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Paris Saint-Germain form guide: W-W-W-D-W-W
Juventus form guide: W-D-D-W-D
Paris Saint-Germain vs Juventus Head-To-Head Record:
| Paris Saint-Germain | Draw | Juventus |
| 0 | 2 | 7 |
PSG and Juventus have played only once in the 21st century – in the International Champions Cup – and the Italians have been stronger. Before that, the last meeting took place in 1997, in the UEFA Super Cup. Back then, Juventus did not spare the opponents – in a two-match encounter the Old Lady triumphed with a total score of 9-2. The teams have never crossed paths in the Champions League. But the most striking fact is that PSG have never beaten Juventus: nine games between them have ended in seven Italian victories and two peaceful outcomes. Now, the Parisians have an excellent chance to improve their record.
Paris Saint-Germain vs Juventus Predicted XI:
Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup (3-4-3): Navas; Ramos, Marquinhos, Kimpembe; Hakimi, Sanches, Verratti, Bernat; Messi, Mbappe, Neymar.
Juventus possible starting lineup (4-3-3): Perin; Danilo, Bonucci, Bremer, Sandro; Locatelli, Paredes, McKennie; Cuadrado, Vlahovic, Kostic.
Statistical preview of the match Paris Saint-Germain vs Juventus:
- The Parisians as ever score with the frequency of machine gun shots. In 7 games of the season, PSG players have scored 28 goals.
- In only one match of the season have the French scored fewer than three goals.
- The Bianconeri are unbeaten in the current campaign after five matches.
- PSG have not lost 16 games at home in a row.
- PSG have won 8 of their last 9 home matches.
- 9 of PSG’s last 10 home games in the UCL have seen the total over 1.5.
- 11 of Juventus’ last 13 away matches in the UCL have seen the total under 3.5.
- PSG have scored at home in eight consecutive UCL matches.
- Juventus have scored away in 7 of their last 8 matches in the UCL.
- PSG have scored and conceded in 6 of their last 7 home matches.
What has been said before the match:
Christophe Galtier, the Paris Saint-Germain gaffer:
“There is the desire to get started in this competition with an incredible opening match. I am confident in our ability to play, and to play to win. The players have found their feet well in our set-up, our system. We will need to look to our forwards to create as many chances as possible.”
“They are a team with a lot of experience, with players of the very highest level and a coach that knows this competition like the back of his hand. They are a team that is always difficult to beat. People say that Juventus are struggling, they are unbeaten in Serie A and have only conceded two goals. They are difficult to to get past with the intensity that their players bring. Juventus are very strong in the transition.”
Galtier at the press conference
Massimiliano Allegri, the Juventus gaffer:
“The Champions League group stage now begins and 10 points are needed to qualify for the next stage. Juventus will certainly play a great game from a technical point of view. It’s a beautiful and great match to play in and will be a wonderful evening, the fact we’re here to play in this type of match is a source of pride for all of us. We’ll be playing against the number one favourite in my opinion. Leonardo Bonucci, Adrien Rabiot, Dušan Vlahović and Mattia Perin will play from the first minute, whilst the others I’ve yet to decide. We have to play as a team and the management of the ball will be very important and we can’t allow them any space because they are very good when the pitch is open. This morning Paul Pogba trained for only the second time, he stopped and decided to undergo surgery. We will realistically have him available in January.”
Massimiliano at the press conference
Paris Saint-Germain vs Juventus Prediction:
Nine points from five Serie A outings – Juventus look set to miss out on the Scudetto for the third year in a row. With such problems in the domestic championship, there are certainly no prospects in the European competitions.
PSG will clearly try to claim victory in their opening group stage game to go straight to the top. That said, it’s unlikely that the Parisians will be attacking with all their might right from the start. Juventus are now relying exclusively on counterattacks and low-block defending, and it is the Old Lady’s most expensive player, Vlahovic, who has shown time and again how he can take advantage of any suddenly arised opportunity. At times, the Zebras can have just a couple of goal opportunities per match coming from counter attacks – and that’s just enough to win matches. So, the home side have to be careful.
The French will certainly get their points, but there is a good chance that the game will end with the hosts holding a narrow lead – the Bianconeri have not conceded more than one goal per match so far this season.
Parimatch News staff prediction:
We say: PSG to win and the match total under 4 – Yes.