Monaco (AFP)
It was the opponent to avoid and it was the shock of the first round: the Paris SG inherited Real Madrid in the group stage of the Champions League in the draw on Thursday, alongside the more modest Bruges and Galatasaray.
Always French side, Lyon is in a balanced group with the Zenith Saint Petersburg, Benfica and RB Leipzig, while the task looks delicate for Lille against Chelsea, Ajax Amsterdam and Valencia.
But it is of course the PSG-Real Madrid poster in group A that attracts all eyes, between the French club XXL means that has not stopped breaking teeth in the Champions League and his Spanish rival who holds the record for European crowns (13) and reminded Zinedine Zidane to return to the heights, in his favorite competition.
PSG-Real is the reunion of the 8th finals of the 2018 edition during which Paris had nothing to do against the future winner of the competition, the third consecration for Zizou in the role of coach.
"The draw is not easy but it's the C1, (and) if we want to go further ... The Champions League is prestige.The Real Madrid is a big club, we have a lot respect for him, we played it many times but we are also the Paris SG and we will see how we will play, it is a good preparation for us ", reacted Parisian President Nasser Al-Khelaïfi on RMC .
This shock comes to spice up the last hours of the transfer window while the press evokes an interest of the PSG for the keeper .... Madrilenian Keylor Navas. But the Spanish club has interest in letting his future competitor strengthen?
Small consolation for the PSG, the two other opponents, the Belgians of Bruges and the Turks of Galatasaray, are much less formidable, and therefore make Real and Paris the natural candidates for a qualification for the 8th finals, reserved for the first two of each hen.
PSG still has the ability to shoot strong opponents - Naples and Liverpool in the first round last season - and the art of making the front page: the announcement of this galactic shock comes at a time when Paris is in the heart of Neymar and his eventual departure to FC Barcelona.
- Greater Europe for Lille -
So there is a lot of uncertainty before turning to the first round of the Champions League held from 17 September to 11 December.
Lyon inherited a balanced group, the G, with Zenith St. Petersburg, Benfica Lisbon and especially the Germans from Leipzig, small thumb in the UEFA index but with great potential.
The 3rd French team in the running, Lille, for its return to C1, can boast of facing prestigious opponents, even if the qualification for the 8th finals seems difficult in view of the composition of this group H.
With Chelsea, the title winner of the Europa League, Ajax Amsterdam, quadruple European champion and magnificent semi-finalist last season, and the Spaniards of Valencia, players Christophe Galtier will smell a real scent of great Europe.
Beyond the French formations, the 2020 edition will be marked by the attempt to double Liverpool, who dreams of returning to Istanbul, host of the final of May 30, 15 years after his magical night in the Olympic Stadium Atatürk against the AC Milan.
The Reds return to Naples as last season in the group stage, accompanied by Salzburg and Genk.
Among the other posters, Juventus Turin will face Atlético Madrid, and Tottenham, finalist last May will be opposed to Bayern Munich. The densest group, includes Barcelona, Dortmund and Inter Milan ... and the unfortunate Czech Slavia Prague.
In addition to the unfinished quest of Pep Guardiola with Manchester City, opposed to Shakhtar Donetsk, Dinamo Zagreb and Atalanta Bergamo and the long scarcity of European Lionel Messi with Barça, Cristiano Ronaldo will he succeed his bet with Juventus?
The best scorer in the history of the competition, who dreams of raising the "Cup with big ears" with a different 3rd club, can count on a five-star workforce (Matthijs Ligt, Adrien Rabiot, Gianluigi Buffon, ...) to achieve this.
He will cross the line with Atlético Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen and Lokomotiv Moscow.
yk-jed-adc-fbr / gf
© 2019 AFP