2023-09-19 09:04:45
Paris Saint-Germain-Borussia Dortmund is the first poster for the group stage of the Champions League which begins this Tuesday, September 19. The defending champion Manchester City will rub its brand new star against that, Red, of Belgrade.
Published on: 09/19/2023 – 09:04
3 mn
Defeated at home on Friday by Nice, Paris SG and their new coach Luis Enrique are already under pressure as they launch a delicate group stage against Dortmund on Tuesday (2119 p.m. UT) at the Parc des Princes. Like Friday evening, when explaining why the PSG he is shaping conceded a strange defeat against OGC Nice (3-2), Luis Enrique displayed his serenity on Monday at a press conference. “ We haven’t started the season extremely well, but every time I arrive (at a team), it’s always like that, there’s a lot of information, ideas, concepts that the players must assimilate “, he assured. But he cannot ignore that a crisis quickly arrived in Paris, where victory is still awaited. “ If the results are bad I will be fired », Calmly said Luis Enrique.
No break-in period
If it is no longer trumpeted by the leaders, the real objective remains Europe for PSG, which wins almost everything on French soil (9 French championship titles since the arrival of the Qatari fund QSI in 2011 , notably). This is evidenced by the recruitment of Luis Enrique, already winner of the Champions League – with Barcelona in 2015 -, unlike all his predecessors when they arrived on the Parisian bench, except Carlo Ancelotti (December 2011-June 2013).
However, PSG is not entitled to the usual break-in period in the group stage, because it has inherited a difficult draw with, in addition to Dortmund, the powerful AC Milan and the nouveau riche Newcastle.
Each match risks counting to clinch first place in this group F, which would promise an easier draw in the round of 16. Elimination from the pools, unthinkable in previous years, is not completely so this year.
Guardiola : « We didn’t do anything special.”
At Manchester City, there is currently less concern. The defending champion has in fact hit the ground running in the championship, with five victories in five matches, and approaches the defense of his European champion title as a big favorite against a former winner (1991 against Olympique de Marseille).
Winning the Champions League for the first time represents “ something incredible ” for Manchester City, but in the history of the competition, ” we didn’t do anything special », put coach Pep Guardiola into perspective, Monday on the eve of the return to the European Cup.
« For our club, winning the Champions League is something incredible. But how many teams have won one? A lot. There are many who have won two, three, four, five. In perspective, we didn’t do anything special, just a », Declared the Spaniard at a press conference.
For Guardiola, we must advance step by step in the competition, without thinking about the final scheduled at Wembley at the end of the season.
The program for the first day (Time in TU)
Tuesday September 19, 2023
Group E
Lazio – Atlético de Madrid (7pm)
Feyenoord Rotterdam – Celtic Glasgow (19h)
Group F
Milan AC – Newcastle (16h45)
PSG – Borussia Dortmund (19h)
Group G
Young Boys Berne – Leipzig (16h45)
Manchester City – Red Star Belgrade (7 p.m.)
Group H
Chaktior Donestk – Porto (19h)
FC Barcelone – Anvers (19h)
Wednesday September 20, 2023
Group A
Galatasaray – Copenhague (16h45)
Bayern Munich – Manchester United (19h)
Group B
Arsenal – PSV Eindhoven (19h)
Seville – Lens (7 p.m.)
Group C
Real Madrid – Union Berlin (16h45)
Braga – Naples (19h)
Group D
Real Sociedad – Inter Milan (7pm)
Benfica – Salzbourg (19h)
#entry #shock #PSG #Manchester #City #pressure