Paris Saint-Germain vs Girona

Paris Saint-Germain will seek a winning start to their 13th consecutive appearance in the Champions League proper when they take on debutants Girona at the Parc des Princes.

As Paris Saint-Germain fans yearn for their first-ever Champions League title, the record-time Ligue 1 champions look to provide after last season’s dreadful semi-final exit at the hands of Borussia Dortmund. Despite losing marquee forward Kylian Mbappe in the summer, Luis Enrique’s men have been lethal in front of goal this season, netting 16 times in their opening four league matches to get their title defense off to a flying start (W4). After back-to-back scoring blanks against Dortmund, ‘Les Parisiens’ could set an unwanted club record this week as they stare down the barrel of a three-match scoring drought in the Champions League for the first time. However, PSG can turn to their inspiring home record against Spanish visitors for inspiration (W10, D6, L4) despite going down 3-2 against Barcelona in their last such showdown.

Visiting Girona will hope to follow in the footsteps of their Catalan neighbors and topple PSG in their maiden Champions League appearance after exceeding all expectations in 2023/24 to secure a third-place finish in La Liga. However, Girona’s historic success last season cost them dearly in the summer, with top-scorer Artem Dovbyk and midfield dynamo Aleix Garcia leaving the club for Roma and Bayer Leverkusen, respectively. Losing two influential squad members has taken its toll at the start of the 2024/25 season, with ‘Los Blanquivermells’ experiencing an underwhelming La Liga start (W2, D1, L2). A thumping 4-1 home defeat to Barcelona at the weekend underscored Girona’s defensive woes, yet they’ve fared reasonably well across their last six road trips (W3, D2, L1).