After four months of absence and a few weeks before returning to the Champions League in August, PSG begins its preparation with a friendly match in Le Havre, Sunday (at 5 p.m. GMT), an event for French football with the return of the public , limited to 5,000 people.

Seen from afar, this is a preparation match like there are dozens during the summer, between a Ligue 2 team in the midst of a transfer window, and an elite team that seeks above all to avoid injury.

Partial public return

However, this opposition between Normans and Parisians will occupy a special place in the tormented book of the year 2020 of French football, whose pages from March to July were torn apart by the coronavirus pandemic, which put all competitions at risk. stop.

For the first time in four months among the five "Big 5" countries (Spain, England, Germany, Italy, France), a meeting with an elite club will be contested in front of spectators. The gauge set by the French government, which applies from Saturday, in effect, authorizes some 5,000 people within the confines of the Océane stadium.

Without counting the supervision of each team, the employees in charge of security, the organization or the refreshment bar, and the journalists, that makes between 4,000 and 4,500 tickets made available to spectators - who tore themselves away in ten minutes, according to the Le Havre club.

In the stands or on the edge of the lawn, everyone must comply with the health specifications. For the public, it is compulsory to wear a mask, in addition to social distancing and the direction of movement in the stadium to be respected. 

Three trophies in the viewfinder 

Behind the scenes, at the request of Parisian leaders, people who will rub shoulders with the same areas as the players will have to pass two Covid-19 screening tests, by swab and blood test.

Because the champion club of France is preparing for its most exciting summer: with two finals to play (French and League Cups, July 24 and 31) and the final eight-match tournament of the Champions League in Lisbon, it can at best win three trophies, playing only five matches.

 A huge challenge, but at the height of Qatar's means and the talent of this Parisian team, which believes more than ever in its European chances, exhilarated by its victorious 8th final against Dortmund.

The draw on Friday reserved a table for him, with a quarter-final against Atalanta Bergamo before a half against Atlético de Madrid or Leipzig. But today, "it's Saint-Etienne (in the Coupe de France) above all", assures Thomas Tuchel, who must restart a machine stopped since March 11.

With AFP

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