PSG are the only team situated in League 1 who has started the season winning all four of the games they have played, after following up on their previous wins against Le Havre, Montpellier and Lille with a 3-1 victory against Brest last Saturday.
Already starting the season with a +13 goal difference in the French top flight, Luis Enrique’s men will now be preparing for a busy schedule with six games coming over 19 days.
The one trophy that the Parisians haven’t managed to get their hands on as of yet is the inaugural Champions League with the club losing the 2019/20 final to Bayern Munich.
PSG will be keen to start their European campaign in the same fashion that they’ve begun their league. Enrique’s men head into the fixture having lost just one of their last 36 games on home soil in the competition, so this could be something that boosts their confidence heading into the game.
After putting together a historic league campaign last season, Girona started this season with two losses, one draw and two wins in their opening five games.
The Blanquivermells managed to salvage two wins against Sevilla and Osasuna but they couldn’t keep up the momentum after the international break, as they were demolished by Hansi Flick’s Barcelona 4-1 at home.
Goals from young starlet Lamine Yamal (2), Dani Olmo and Pedri put Barcelona in dreamland at the Estadi Montilivi, before veteran striker Cristhian Stuani netted a consolation 10 minutes from time.
Girona may come into the tournament as the underdogs, but they may be motivated by the fact the last three Spanish debutants (Villareal in 2005-06, Sevilla in 2007-08 and Malaga 2021-13) all managed to reach the knockout stages.
Besides, nobody expected Girona to reach the levels they managed to last year so who knows, they may be able to flip the script and create the perfect underdog story.
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Team News
Paris Saint-Germain
PSG will enter the game without Goncalo Ramos (ankle), Presnel Kimpembe (achilles) and Lucas Hernandez (ACL) whilst Warren Zaire-Emery (calf) and Vitinha (ankle) – who both were absent for their last game – are unlikely to feature.
Enrique could face a selection dilemma though as he could recall Marquinhos and William Pacho back to the starting XI, ultimately replacing Milan Skriniar and Lucas Beraldo consequently.
22-year-old winger Bradley Barcola has started the season like a man on a mission will most likely keep his place in the starting lineup and could link up with Ousmane Dembele and either Marco Asensio or Randal Kolo Muani leading the line.
Girona
As for Girona, Jastin (shoulder) and Ricard Artero (ankle) remain out of action for the foreseeable whilst Yangel Herrera could also find himself in the same boat after missing the game against Barcelona due to an adductor problem.
Oriol Romeu will most likely find himself returning to the starting lineup after missing the game against Barcelona due to being ineligible to play against his parent club, seeing himself paired up with Ivan Martin and Jhon Solis whilst Donny van de Beek will probably find himself on the bench.
Abel Ruiz is set to start once against as the striker ahead of last week’s goal scorer Stuani whilst Cristian Portu, Bryan Gil, Arnaut Danjuma and Viktor Tsygankov will battle it out to see who will start on the flank.
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Potential Lineups
Paris Saint-Germain’s (4-3-3):
Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes; Lee, Ruiz, Neves; Dembele, Kolo Muani, Barcola
Girona (4-3-3):
Gazzaniga; Frances, Lopez, Blind, Gutierrez; Martin, Romeu, Solis; Tsygankov, Ruiz, Danjuma
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Key Players
Paris Saint-Germain: Bradley Barcola
After Kylian Mbappe signed for Real Madrid during the summer transfer window, there was questions about who would become the star man in Enrique’s side, but that question has seemingly been quickly shut down.
Having signed for PSG last season from fellow Ligue 1 outfit Lyon, Barcola was hoping to hit the ground running for the current league champions, but he failed to do so resulting in him picking up five goals and nine assists in the 39 games he featured in last year.
This season though, there has seemingly been a change in Barcola’s form, seeing the 22-year-old record four goals in the first four games of the season including a brace against Montpellier.
To add to his fine form so far, Barcola earned himself a start for France against Italy in the first game of the Nations League group stage, seeing him score in the first minute of the game. Although France went on to lose the game 3-1, the young winger did also created two chances, the most in the game, which France failed to convert.
It is safe to say that Barcola has started the season the way he and his team would’ve hoped so with that he will aim to keep up his fine form with the hope that he can guide his team to victory.
Girona: Daley Blind
It is hard to really pinpoint a player who has started the season the way the Girona faithful would’ve wanted, but with Michel bolstering his squad with young prospects, leadership is essential if the squad hopes to hit the heights that they did in the previous season.
Although he may not be the most exciting player on this list, the 34-year-old former Manchester United defender has established himself as one of Michel's most significant leaders.
With a youthful team that includes players like Alejandro Frances and Miguel Gutierrez at fullback and other young players, the Dutchman has served as a constant source of solidity since joining the Spanish team.
Blind and fellow seasoned player David Lopez are placed together at centre back by Michel, and the two will be crucial in using their expertise and guidance to ensure that the team is headed in the correct way.
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Match details
Where is the game being played?
The fixture is set to take place at the Parc des Princes, the home of PSG.
What time is kick-off?
The game is set to kick off at 20:00 BST on Wednesday 18th September 2024.
How can I watch it?
The game will be shown on TNT Sports 4 or it can be watched on Discovery+ provided you have a subscription to do so.
