The return of the spectacular and sometimes the grandiose, as against Rennes (5-0) on Saturday evening, reminds us that, during the work, PSG kept its house intact or almost, a form of feat. Forced to do without hitherto unsinkable forces, like Ousmane Dembélé, Achraf Hakimi or João Neves, while being guided by his own light and a few chief scouts, like Vitinha, he managed to impose his imperial air in the Champions League while he does not give up much in Ligue 1, where only Lens is going faster.
Only defeated by the best team of the moment in the European Cup, Bayern Munich, on November 4 (1-2), Paris seems to remain one step ahead of the competition. That is to say, we have to look at this PSG, sometimes little carried by its offensive ideas of the moment, and imagine it with all its available personnel. It could once again roll across Europe, in any case towards Budapest, a course worth keeping.
This Wednesday in Bilbao, he recovers genius and possibilities with the return of two cracks, two essential elements that the understudies were unable to forget during their absence. Désiré Doué and Nuno Mendes return, which can change the face of an opposition that is a priori unbalanced but uncertain, because of the unpredictable spirit of San Mamés.
How to stumble into this famous cathedral?
The Basques have just beaten Atletico de Madrid (1-0), an immense performance, a few days after a Kylian Mbappé show with Real Madrid (0-3), which the defenders seemed to discover, in any case his burst of speed and his calls on the edge of offside. For their third match in a row at home – a rarity in a calendar – they welcome a third Champions League team whose level they are struggling to keep up with – 27th at the start of this 6th day.
The partners of the formidable Nico Williams get one last chance to get out of it, a year after Paris put itself in this competition by winning in Salzburg. The Spaniards suspect it, the Mozarts of football are now more in Paris than in Austria and we do not see how a PSG diligent and faithful to itself could stumble in this famous cathedral. Ernesto Valverde, Luis Enrique’s successor at Barcelona in 2017, summons Asterix but without necessarily knowing the magic potion.
Since September, the Parisians have had their best outing in the event that they have dominated since the start of 2025 and won halfway. They still have the best attack, without having shown the talent of Dembélé and being able to take advantage of Doué over time.
A rank to keep
Athletic will see one of the two this Wednesday, at least for a few minutes, and based on the training that opened on Thursday, December 4, he might not recover, the former Rennais having displayed quite impressive physical qualities and a sense of goal that is still as acute.
Doué will want to consolidate his place in the top 8 of PSG, with direct qualification for the round of 16. Paris has a place to maintain from now on, a massacre mood to confirm and consolidate during the last three outings of the League phase, the most affordable with Bilbao, Sporting and Newcastle to finish, even if the Basques announce a hellish atmosphere. It’s time to wrap things up.
