Paris Saint-Germain travels to face Manchester City in the second round of the UEFA Champions League, holding a squad bolstered by the returns of Ousmane Dembélé and Nuno Mendes, according to CulturePSG.
Squad Returns and Roster Adjustments
Dembélé and Mendes both return to the traveling party after missing the domestic fixture against Le Mans to rest. Meanwhile, young goalkeeper Adam Mouak steps into the third-goalkeeper slot behind Matvey Safonov and Lucas Chevalier, replacing Arthur Bar, who had occupied the bench against Le Mans. Mouak previously traveled with the senior team for the opening-round win against Slovan Bratislava but watched from the stands as the 24th man.
Injuries and Youth League Absences
The French champions remain without midfielder Senny Mayulu and young Italian goalkeeper Alessandro Longoni, both sidelined with injuries according to CulturePSG. Academy prospect David Boly trained with the senior squad ahead of the trip but was omitted from the senior 23-man matchday roster. Instead, Boly and Arthur Bar will feature for PSG in the afternoon UEFA Youth League fixture against Manchester City starting at 16:00 local time. Under UEFA Champions League regulations, clubs can name 23 players on their matchday sheet, allowing manager Luis Enrique to include youngsters such as Quentin Ndjantou in the traveling group.
Form and European Stakes
PSG opened its European campaign with a commanding 6-1 victory over Slovan Bratislava, placing the defending European champions at the summit of the league phase table (Yahoo Actualités). However, the reigning holders face a significant escalation in difficulty against a Manchester City side that leads the Premier League. reported that City enters the clash following a 3-0 defeat of Liverpool at Anfield, powered by goals from Jérémy Doku, Rayan Cherki, and Erling Haaland. For Paris, winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia aims to translate his domestic form onto the continental stage after a quiet start to the season.
Haaland’s Record Pursuit
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland approaches Wednesday’s fixture targeting multiple UEFA Champions League scoring milestones (Vietnam.vn). The Norwegian forward has netted eight goals in eight appearances across all competitions this term, including a brace in City’s 2-0 win away to Porto in the opening round. A goal against PSG would draw Haaland level with Sergio Agüero as Manchester City’s joint-leading scorer in the Champions League with 36 goals, while also threatening Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record for goals scored across a player’s first 60 matches in the competition (Vietnam.vn).
Match Officials and Referee History
UEFA appointed German referee Sven Jablonski to officiate the match, assisted by compatriots Eduard Beitinger and Christian Dietz (Yahoo Actualités). Jablonski previously handled Manchester City’s 3-1 away defeat to Bodø/Glimt in last season’s group stage, marking a difficult memory for the English club, though this fixture represents his first time refereeing a Paris Saint-Germain match in the Champions League (Yahoo Actualités).
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