a crucial match for two giants threatened with European downgrading

It’s a match at the top, which Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) has been waiting for for weeks, with a mixture of impatience, the Coué method and, above all, the awareness of playing very big. The capital club hosts Manchester City, Wednesday January 22, at 9 p.m., during the penultimate day of the first phase of the Champions League (LDC). A meeting as prestigious as it is crucial for both teams, to the point that the Citizens coach, Pep Guardiola, summed up what was at stake, presenting the meeting as “a finale”.

These two giants of European football, who have reached the semi-finals of the CL three times in the last five seasons, are currently in great difficulty on the continental scene. PSG may have crushed the French championship with its superiority, but it finds itself in a very bad position in the premier competition: it is ranked 26^e provisional place, Wednesday, and is therefore virtually eliminated – the eight best teams in the league phase going directly to the round of 16, the following sixteen will compete in the play-offs. Also poorly ranked (24^e), City has the ambition to bring back points from the Parc des Princes to protect themselves from premature elimination.

An exit at this stage would be synonymous with an earthquake for these behemoths, who are one of the five richest teams in Europe, with a budget of more than 800 million euros each. The Mancunians lifted the “big ears cup” in 2023; the Parisians have never missed the final stages of the tournament since the club was bought by Qatar in 2011.

If the two teams have experienced a slump, they seem reinvigorated before their face-to-face. PSG coach Luis Enrique has recorded the return of his three best players, absent for several matches: Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos and Ousmane Dembélé. Author of 10 goals and five assists in the league, the latter will be the team’s number one offensive asset. “I feel much better”he declared Tuesday, after “a little flu” these last few days. Effective in recent weeks, the ex-Barcelona player must raise his level on the European scene, where he has so far not scored this season. Same observation for Bradley Barcola, author of 11 goals in Ligue 1, but who has not yet found the net in the continental competition.

Structural weaknesses

In full doubt, in November 2024, after defeats against Bayern Munich (0-1) and Atlético de Madrid (1-2), the capital club remains on a series of eight victories in a row, in all competitions. confused. A perfect balance sheet, which nevertheless masks structural weaknesses.

In 2025, PSG struggled to beat Monaco in the Champions Trophy (1-0), then Saint-Etienne in the championship (2-1). He was even caught by the modest Espaly (National 3) in the Coupe de France (4-2), where he bordered on ridicule. Saturday January 18, he again scored a close victory against Lens (2-1). In the first period, he showed recurring shortcomings, with sterile offensive animation and, above all, great defensive feverishness. Not very reassuring, its goalkeeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma, once again conceded a goal from a set piece, one of the team’s weak points.

For their part, Pep Guardiola’s players have raised their heads after a long black streak at the end of autumn 2024: nine defeats in fourteen matches. Sunday January 19, they crushed Ipswich (6-0) in the Premier League. Their fourth success in five matches, all competitions combined. Strengthened in defense by the return of the Portuguese Ruben Dias, the Citizens are mainly benefiting from the renewed form of their playing master, Kevin De Bruyne, and their winger Phil Foden (four goals in the last two matches), who must support their master weapon: striker Erling Haaland.

City, however, remains fragile. Especially in defense, as evidenced by their draw (2-2) against Brentford, Tuesday January 14, after leading 2-0. A common point between two teams which share another: Spanish coaches, trained at FC Barcelona, ​​who advocate the same playing philosophy. Tuesday January 21, at a press conference, the two men said all the good things they thought from each other. It’s a “special match”, car “I’m going to see a friend with whom I shared many years as a player and coach “recalled Luis Enrique, while Pep Guardiola said “love everything” of his compatriot, in particular “the way [le PSG] plays “.

Even if his group is not completely convincing on the pitch, the Parisian coach continues to reiterate his “optimism” before the clash against City. “What I see from my team gives me great confidence”he insisted on the eve of kick-off, affirming that he did not feel any « pression » particular. Luis Enrique knows, however, that he will be judged above all on his European record.