PSG vs Dortmund live updates: Early Champions League team ...
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Barcelona writer Pol Ballus: I’d say PSG. The group is tough and Luis Enrique’s project is still at an early stage of development. Plus, there’s always in pressure in Paris when it comes to the Champions League… this is going to be fun to watch.
Real Madrid writer Mario Cortegana: The biggest club that I sense may struggle the most is PSG. Although there are always surprises, the rest should have it under control.
PSG correspondent Peter Rutzler: This will not be a walk in the park for PSG, nor anyone else in Group F.
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Dortmund’s most notable summer business was, of course, the departure of Jude Bellingham.
The brilliant English midfielder left for Real Madrid for £89m in a fee that already looks a little shy of what it could have been, while Raphael Guerreiro and Mahmoud Dahoud departed on frees to Bayern and Brighton respectively.
Terzic’s side strengthened in midfield with Marcel Sabitzer and Felix Nmecha joining, plus Ramy Bensebaini replacing Guerreiro at left back and Niclas Fullkrug strengthening their options up top. Ultimately, they’ve lost real quality and it is as yet unclear whether it has adequately been replaced.
See the run down of their summer transfer window below.
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The French giants opted for a transfer strategy that saw younger replacements for Messi, Neymar and Ramos targeted in an apparent shift away from the egocentric ‘Galacticos’ policy in an attempt to create a dynamic, hard-working team rather than a collection of individual superstars - though Kylian Mbappe has stayed, which is crucial.
Guided by sporting director Luis Campos - who will be profiled later on in this blog - they splashed out more than £215million on 13 new faces including the likes of Randal Kolo Muani, Ousmane Dembele, Lucas Hernandez, Milan Skriniar and Marco Asensio.
Among them are exciting young players such as 20-year-old attacking midfielder Xavi Simons, who returned from PSV Eindhoven before going out on loan to RB Leipzig, as well as midfielder Manuel Ugarte, 22, forward Bradley Barcola, 20, and winger Lee Kang-in, 22.
See the run down of their summer transfer window below.
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To follow tonight's clash, tune in via the following channels.
UK: TNT Sports
US: Paramount+, ViX
Canada: DAZN
Australia: Stan Sport
Having been a feature of every European campaign since 1992-93, this year’s Champions League group stage will be the last in its current format.
From 2024, Europe’s premier continental competition will instead be played as a ‘Swiss system’, an unusual approach where all 36 competing sides will be in one division and sorted according to their results in matches against eight separate opponents (four at home, four away). It’s a bold, complex and almost certainly confusing approach, which might make us yearn for the very simple concept we’ve become accustomed to: eight four-team groups, six matches, no real explanation needed.
But that would be partially forgetting the sense that the group stage has become a little tired, predictable and increasingly lacking in excitement. Granted, there are routinely one or two upsets a year and a couple of groups that go down to the wire. By and large, though, the Champions League group stage is less thrilling than in its heyday - hence the shake-up.
Read more below.
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Don’t mourn the Champions League group stage, even if the Swiss model isn’t any better
Luis Enrique is the latest manager who will be expected to win the Champions League at the Parc des Princes.
The wealthy Qatari owners have overseen massive domestic dominance — nine league titles in the last 11 years — but, like at Manchester City, the ultimate goal is European glory by lifting the Champions League.
However, the Spaniard has insisted he is not happy with that defining his appointment.
"When a club is obsessed with something, it is never a good sign,” said Enrique. “You have to have ambition but obsession doesn’t work, that’s the same in all walks of life.
"We want to play, to give our supporters a lot of joy, but there is no obsession."
While Dortmund have made an unbeaten start to the season, there is doubt mounting over the future of manager Edin Terzic.
Some club insiders had claimed that Edin Terzic’s job was firmly on the line - but a late comeback 4-2 victory against Freiburg on Saturday was just what the doctor ordered after they conceded twice in first-half stoppage time.
It made it eight points from their first four Bundesliga games but a pair of disappointing draws have bittered what, on paper, looks like a steady start after the pain of missing out on last season's league title to Bayern.
They currently lie in seventh, albeit only two points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen and bitter rivals Bayern Munich in first and second.
August 19 – Dortmund 1-0 CologneAugust 26 – Bochum 1-1 DortmundSeptember 1 – Dortmund 2-2 HeidenheimSeptember 16 – Freiburg 2-4 Dortmund
PSG were able to put a tumultuous 2022-23 campaign behind them over the summer as they got rid of big-name stars Lionel Messi, Neymar and Sergio Ramos.
However, a couple of big wins aside, their start to the season has shown that there is still somewhat of a hangover from the busy transfer window in Paris.
They have won just two of their first five Ligue 1 games, leaving them languishing in fifth, and will be looking to bounce back today after losing at home against Nice on Friday.
August 12 – PSG 0-0 LorientAugust 19 – Toulouse 1-1 PSGAugust 26 – PSG 3-1 LensSeptember 3 – Lyon 1-4 PSGSeptember 15 – PSG 2-3 Nice
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The issues don’t run as deep for German side Dortmund; it should be just right-backs Thomas Meunier (hamstring) and Mateu Morey (knee) that will definitely miss out against PSG.
Giovanni Reyna and Niclas Fullkrug are both likely to provide more depth in attack, while goalkeeper Gregor Kobel and full-back Julian Ryerson both returned to action in the dramatic late win against Freiburg at the weekend.
PSG boss Luis Enrique is dealing with something of an injury crisis at the moment.
A foot injury has ruled Marco Asensio out of contention, while Nuno Mendes (infection) and Presnel Kimpembe (Achilles) will be absent from the defence.
Although, Enrique will hope to have a trio of players available for selection after Nordi Mukiele, Fabian Ruiz and Kang-in Lee all trained yesterday (Monday) following their injuries.
Marquinhos and Manuel Ugarte were not involved on Friday due to long journeys back to France after international trips with Brazil and Colombia respectively — they are likely to be considered.
We’ve looked at Group F, but there are seven other groups that need to be looked at — here they are in full:
I just mentioned that this group is probably the hardest to navigate in the Champions League, with PSG and Dortmund drawn against what were probably the two teams to avoid in Pots 3 and 4.
Semi-finalists from last season AC Milan and a buoyant Newcastle United side with a point to prove are their other opponents.
Group FParis Saint-GermainBorussia DortmundAC MilanNewcastle UnitedHello and welcome to The Athletic’s coverage of the Champions League group stage meeting between Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund.
It is the first game of the European campaign for both teams in Group F and they will be expecting to make it into the knockout stages as the top seeds in this group despite being handed arguably the toughest draw in the competition - more on that later.
Stay with us for all the build up, the latest updates as they happen from the French capital and the post-match reaction on day one of the 2023-24 Champions League.
