One last marathon before the end of year holidays. While they will only play again at the Parc des Princes on January 4, 2026 for a derby against Paris FC, after putting on a show there against Rennes (5-0) last week, the Parisians launched, Wednesday in Bilbao (0-0), a series of four trips in less than fifteen days which requires adjustments to optimize the recovery and performance of the team.
Visiting Metz this Saturday at 7 p.m. in Ligue 1, the European champions will not stay long in Moselle. They will return immediately after the match in Paris to embark on Sunday for Doha (Qatar) for the final of the Intercontinental Cup (Wednesday December 17, at 6 p.m.). They could very well have opted for a departure from Lorraine or Luxembourg, but the various club services ultimately chose to return to the capital, to spend one last night with family, before swallowing more than 6 hours of flight and a time difference of + 2 hours to the Arabian peninsula.
Luis Enrique’s group will know their opponent this Saturday (6 p.m.), between the Brazilians of Flamengo and the Egyptians of Pyramids FC. They will also have two training sessions on site, Monday and Tuesday, the first behind closed doors and the other open to the media for the first quarter of an hour.
“We are used to it, we travel in the best conditions”
While a slight 7 degrees awaits the Parisians in Metz this weekend, the temperature will rise significantly in Doha where no less than 23°C is expected at kick-off. The European champions will, however, be able to count on the modern facilities of the Ahmad bin Ali stadium so as not to experience any major changes. Like most stadiums built for the 2022 World Cup, this 45,000-seat enclosure is equipped with air conditioning.
“We travel a lot, that’s clear,” commented pragmatically coach Luis Enrique at a press conference on Friday. But it’s the calendar, you have to adapt. We are not looking for excuses. We are used to it, we travel in the best conditions. It’s nice for us to have this possibility, but every time you travel you feel tired. But from what I saw today in training, the team is ready. I hope we won’t have a problem with that. »
Paris not unhappy to play Saturday in the Coupe de France
This real obstacle course mobilizes in particular the stewards and members of the performance department who have been working for several weeks on the organization of the trip. Concerning equipment, hydration or nutrition – different depending on the destination – nothing is left to chance.
While the 32nd final of the Coupe de France against fans of Vendée Fontenay Foot (N3) is set for Saturday December 20 at 9 p.m., in Nantes, the Parisians will not even have three days to prepare for this final meeting. Which, according to our information, does not really pose a problem for the Parisian club which is rather looking forward to going on vacation quickly and having an extra day of rest before starting the new year.
The program is simple: whether they win or lose in the Intercontinental Cup, the PSG players will return during the night from Wednesday to Thursday to be able to benefit from two training sessions at the Campus before the trip to Loire-Atlantique. A rhythmic sequence, as Paris is accustomed to. The price of glory…
