Paris Saint-Germain could no better start its European campaign. With six points, the PSG is at the top of his group, after his brilliant success against Real Madrid (3-0), then the victory more difficult to win in Istanbul on the hostile field of Galatasaray (1-0). In front of Bruges, Tuesday, October 22, the goal is clear: continue this faultless.
Although the opponent may seem less unsettling on paper, coach Thomas Tuchel wants to remain cautious. "For me, playing outside in C1 is the most difficult challenge in Europe, so we have a lot of respect for Bruges, who has a lot of energy and courage. very physical team, who will play very high, with a lot of intensity.If we do not show our best level, it is almost certain that we can not win, "he said at a press conference.
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Because the champion of Belgium plays without complex. During the previous day, the teammates of the forward Emmanuel Dennis had led 2-0 at Santiago Bernabeu, before seeing Madrid snatch the draw late in the game. "Like Real, we have everything to gain and nothing to lose, it's very simple," said Philippe Clément, the coach of Club Bruges.
"Real and PSG have more qualities than us, it's clear, but on a match we can do special things, we have already done, he added.Normally you're happy when you can do a miracle by season, but we always want more. "
Belgian defender Thomas Meunier is well placed to find out. From 2011 to 2016, he played for Bruges before joining the Paris club. "At the level of the atmosphere, it's a pretty hot club, a bit of English, something very English-speaking, for the rest I do not expect any particular reception. enjoy the game, which they will enjoy. "
Without Neymar
For the third match, PSG will not be able to count on Neymar missing about "four weeks" because of a muscle injury, nor on Idrissa Gueye, who suffers from a similar injury. Kylian Mbappé and Edinson Cavani will also return to the group. Present in Nice, Friday, during the 4-1 win, Cavani remained on the bench unlike Mbappé, author of a late entry with a goal at the end. Will they roam the lawn of Bruges? "I think it's too early for Kylian to play 90 minutes, we need to find the solution to see if he starts or ends the game, and that's the same for Edi (Cavani)," said Thomas Tuchel.
In case the two members of the "MCN" begin on the bench, the Paris coach can, whatever happens, rely on his two Argentinians Angel Di Maria and Mauro Icardi, authors of three of the four goals scored in Paris in C1. Irresistible since the beginning of the season, Di Maria continues the doubles and the class actions as if he lived, at 31 years, the best form of his career in the absence of the Mbappé-Cavani-Neymar trio.
Real Madrid in danger
In the other meeting of the group between Real Madrid and Galatasaray, the evening promises to be more stressful for the Merengue. With a single small point, Real Madrid is last in the group and already in danger. After a heavy defeat 3-0 in Paris and a 2-2 draw against Club Bruges, Zinedine Zidane's team is threatened with elimination, which would be a first. In 23 participations in the first round of the modern C1 (since 1992), the "White House" has qualified 23 times for the knockout phase, a record.
Returning to the controls in March crowned with his three C1 conquered during his first term (2016-2018), the French coach knows that a new cons-performance on Tuesday, would reduce the chances of qualifying his team. And that an early elimination would be a resounding industrial accident for the club with the most revenue in the world, according to the firm Deloitte (822.1 million euros of projected turnover this season). "We know what is at stake. We have to play this game to win it, there is no other way out," Zidane admitted this weekend.
With AFP