PSG’s big Champions League gamble.
Paris Saint-Germain kicks up their UEFA Champions League campaign against Club Brugge in Belgium on Wednesday.
The French giants are among the favorites for the championship once again, although they are in Group A with other contenders Manchester City.
Mauricio Pochettino, speaking before Tuesday’s match at Jan Breydel Stadium, was enjoying the pressure on PSG after the summer signings of Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Georginio Wijnaldum, Achraf Hakimi, and Nuno Mendes.
“We know that at the end of the season, we will be evaluated on our results,” Pochettino stated.
“All teams are under pressure, and we know that winning the Champions League has been a big goal for PSG for years.
“Given our summers and the fact that they are reigning champions, we could be one of the two clubs to defeat on paper alongside Chelsea.”
They did, however, spend more than PSG, therefore they are the side to beat for me. We’ve hired people, and now it’s time to build the groundwork for a fantastic team.”
Captain Marquinhos, who is no stranger to PSG facing high expectations, welcomed the renewed interest in the squad but maintained that it was for journalists and fans to debate rather than the players.
“Every year, particularly at PSG, we deal with pressure — it’s part of the job.” Soccer has always been like that for me since I was a kid. True, with our team, people speak about us and want to see us even more.
That’s great for us, but there’s no added pressure — just benefits.
“There isn’t much that changes. As I have said, having guys like the ones we have is critical.
They’ve all dealt with similar situations before and know how to deal with them.
We are, without a doubt, one of the greatest teams in the world.
I’ll leave it to the media and fans to argue. In any event, there are no stars once a match begins; it’s all about sacrifice.”
Pochettino indicated that Club Brugge would be the first opponents to see Messi with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe for the first time in PSG colors, with Olympique Lyonnais in Ligue 1 to follow this weekend.
“Perhaps we’ll see them together at some time over the 90 minutes,” the famous trio’s Argentine remarked. “It’s a possibility.”
“Given our summers and the fact that they are reigning champions, we could be one of the two clubs to defeat on paper alongside Chelsea.”
They did, however, spend more than PSG, therefore they are the side to beat for me. We’ve hired people, and now it’s time to build the groundwork for a fantastic team.”
Despite the fact that PSG’s sporting director Leonardo told Canal+ that Messi, Neymar, and Mbappe’s association will last longer than this season, the France international has yet to extend his contract beyond next summer, and the Brazilian transfer guru insists that securing his future remains a priority following Real Madrid’s failed summer swoop.
“We’ve never considered doing without Kylian,” Leonardo said. “We didn’t like Real’s conduct and had never given it much consideration. The offer was inadequate and much less than what we had paid. Kylian is the distinction between something shallow and something profound. You can’t disagree with anything so profound.
“I don’t think he’ll leave at the conclusion of the season. Our goal has never changed. PSG and Kylian have a long history together. Nobody, I believe, sees the future without him. He’s not going anywhere at the conclusion of the season, in my opinion.
“He is not just French, but also one of the greatest players on the planet. He is popular with everyone. He’s a fantastic player. When you think about Messi, Neymar, and Mbappe, you’re not talking about a one-year wonder.”
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Leonardo claimed that La Liga president Javier Tebas’ frequent assaults on PSG over Financial Fair Play,
as well as his latest assertions that Real can afford Kylian Mbappe and Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland next summer, were created out of Spanish soccer’s economic difficulties.
He went on to say, “Tebas was out of line.” “It seems to me that his remarks are more about him and La Liga, which is in poor health than anything else.”
This Wednesday, PSG travels to Club Brugge, and you can see Messi, Neymar, and Mbappe take their first steps together on the European stage exclusively on Paramount+.
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