PSG vs DOR Match Details
Date: Tuesday, 19 September 2023 / Wednesday, 20 September 2023
Time: 21:00 (CET) / 00:30 (IST)
Venue: Parc des Princes, Paris
PSG vs DOR Match Preview
Paris Saint-Germain will begin another Champions League campaign with a remodel of their squad. Losing two superstar attackers in the summer Lionel Messi and Neymar and requiring sorting out of Kylian Mbappe's contract, the team will also have a new face in the dugout. The manager door that keeps on revolving for the Parisians has appointed former Spain national team manager Luis Enrique. In this regard, the previous three predecessors, Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino and Christophe Galtier, had not won the Champions League before as he did in the successful treble season with Barcelona. Tuchel won the competition after leaving the club being the only one to get them to the final. Enrique will hope to be the person to finally land the silverware for the club although the start of his life at PSG has been rocky. Opening the Ligue 1 campaign with back-to-back draws and even after big wins over Lens and Lyon, they had to concede a 3-2 loss. While it is not ringing the alarm bell just yet, any slip-off in the Champions League ‘group of death’ containing Milan, Newcastle and Dortmund might. Losing five of their last nine fixtures at home is growing pressure they will want to avoid as they take on the Black and Yellows at Parc des Princes.
Dortmund long awaiting stride for league success almost came to the fore last season but once again had to watch Bayern Munich win the Bundesliga giving away the title on the final day. With the squad going through changes with the departure of Jude Bellingham to Real Madrid the headline act in the summer, Edin Terzic’s team will have to find glory before more stars leave amid their talent hunt to replace them. Although the new season has not started on a bright fashion with only the 4-2 win over Freiburg giving some belief after two disappointing draws, Dortmund are able to stretch their unbeaten run across all competitions to 13 matches with scoring in each. That could give them some motivation to start their European campaign on a high. Drawn into probably the toughest group in the contest, the 1997 Champions League winners will be hoping to be in the knockout places. The opening game will throw the biggest challenge as their last two trips to Paris have been winless with no goals scored. Failing to keep a clean sheet in away matches is also a problem the team will have to manage if they are willing to add the first three points on the board. Only one of their last six away matches in the competition has ended in victory so it is a huge ask from them.
Recent Form
PSG: LWWDD
DOR: WDDWW
PSG vs DOR Team News
PSG are relieved to have star man Kylian Mbappé available for the clash after he recovered from a minor injury in the weekend loss against Nice. However, Marco Asensio has been ruled out with a foot problem for a month. The club is infested with injury problems with Nordi Mukiele and Nuno Mendes nursing hamstring injuries, Presnel Kimpembe struggling with Achilles tendon and a thigh issue for Fabian Ruiz. Despite injury concerns, Kang-in Lee has joined the South Korean squad for the Asian Games in China while goalkeepers Sergio Rico and Alexandre Letellier are not available.
Thomas Meunier (hamstring) and Mateu Morey (knee) and Julien Duranville (fitness) are all out of contention for Dortmund but they will be boosted by goalkeeper Gregor Kobel and right-back Julian Ryerson completing the full match against Freiburg in the Bundesliga, shaking off their injury concerns. Niclas Fullkrug and Giovanni Reyna are also back in their squad from their respective issues.
PSG vs DOR Predicted Lineups
PSG: Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Skriniar, Hernandez; Zaire-Emery, Ugarte, Vitinha; Dembele, Kolo Muani, Mbappe
DOR: Kobel; Wolf, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini; Sabitzer, Can, Brandt; Malen, Haller, Reus
PSG vs DOR Dream11 Team prediction
GK: Kobel (8.5)
DEF: Hakimi (9), Hummels (9), Bensebaini (8)
MID: Malen (9), Dembele (8), Brandt (8), Reus (8)
FW: Kolo Muani (7.5), Haller (7.5), Mbappe (9)
Vice-captain: Donyell Malen or Marco Asensio
Captain: Kylian Mbappé
