Paris (AFP)

Paris SG returns to the Champions League on Tuesday, a month and a half after losing in the final, by an explosive shock against Manchester United at the time of the curfew (9 p.m.), while Rennes will make its debut in the competition against Krasnodar.

In August, PSG and Lyon offered a historic summer for French football which for the first time succeeded in placing two representatives in the last four.

Today, the cream of Ligue 1 is starting from zero, or almost.

The return swept away the state of grace of the Parisians, unhappy finalists against Bayern (1-0), and brought something new, with the novice Rennes and the returning Marseille, who plays Wednesday against Olympiakos, in Greece, his first C1 match in seven years.

Of the lot, the ambitious Paris displays the most guarantees for a new epic, the objective of its Qatari owner who "believes in it even more" than before, according to President Nasser Al-Khelaïfi.

But "we must not think too much" of the Lisbon Final 8, warned coach Thomas Tuchel.

"The challenge is to start over, to prove again, to qualify in this very difficult group. We start with zero points, zero goals."

Winning the C1, "it's a dream, but not our only objective of the season", tempered the Parisian Ander Herrera.

- MU without Cavani -

However, the shock against Manchester United will say a lot about his ability to reach the Grail, just like his great victory against Real Madrid (3-0) in September 2019, in the same context, had been premonitory of the successes that followed.

After a start to the season weighed down by the "Clasico" lost against Marseille, injuries, suspensions, cases of Covid-19 and tensions linked to the transfer window, PSG needs a benchmark success.

Manchester United, who had eliminated him with a crash in the round of 16 in 2019 (2-0, 1-3), is therefore timely.

With the Blues Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial, the Portuguese playing master Bruno Fernandes and the English striker Marcus Rashford, the Mancuniens arrive with arguments to make, even if their start in the Premier League (14th after four days) has not ideal summer, against a porous defense background.

Perhaps the promise of a fiery match against Paris.

But this poster will miss its main artificer, Edinson Cavani.

The top scorer in the history of PSG, who only resumed collective training on Sunday, was exempted from the trip, due to his lack of preparation.

- 5,000 spectators in Rennes -

For Paris, success would be welcome before two difficult trips in two weeks, in Istanbul against Basaksehir and then at RB Leipzig.

Rennes, it is not yet with these calculations: the Breton club is preparing with excitement for its first match of C1, against the Russians of Krasnodar, also novices.

They will be nearly 5,000 supporters in the stands and eleven Rennais at kick-off to hear the legendary anthem of the Champions League resound for the first time for a match at Roazhon Park.

But "it's the match I'm waiting for, not the music," Bretons coach Julien Stéphan cut short on Monday.

Eduardo Camavinga's teammates are experiencing a slight slack in L1 (two consecutive draws against relegation) which dislodged them from first place.

"We will have to raise the cursor to make full matches, because the road will rise considerably in the days and weeks to come", warned the technician.

"The objective is to approach the match in a very uninhibited manner," he assured.

Faced with the Russians, deprived of their French playmaker Rémy Cabella due to Covid-19, the Bretons hardly have the right to make mistakes with a view to a possible qualification for the 8th, or for the Europa League, promised to the 3rd of the group, to keep the flame alive as long as possible.

© 2020 AFP