A mouth-watering clash between two European heavyweights is on the slate for the opening day of 2022-23 Champions League group stage action as Juventus travel to face Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday evening.
Two-time European champions Juve are looking to climb back into the continent’s elite after slipping down the pecking order over the past couple of seasons. Having won nine consecutive Serie A titles between 2012 and 2020, the Old Lady of Turin have recorded back-to-back fourth-place finishes and haven’t advanced beyond the Champions League quarter-finals since the 2016-17 season.
Both Milan clubs appear to have advanced beyond them from a domestic perspective over the past couple of campaigns and a mixed start this term has seen them notch two wins and three draws in five Serie A games - making them big underdogs in Paris.
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For PSG, the quest is simple: finally deliver that elusive Champions League trophy. They have assembled an all-star squad thanks to the endless money of Qatar Sports Investments since their 2011 takeover and the 24 goals they’ve scored across six Ligue 1 games this year show a formidable attack - featuring Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe - is clicking nicely into gear.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the opening match of the group stage.
When is PSG vs Juventus?
The match will kick off at 8pm BST on Tuesday 6 September. It will be played at Parc des Princes in Paris, France
How can I watch it?
It will be shown live on BT Sport 4 with coverage following the conclusion of Dinamo Zagreb vs Chelsea. It will be also streamed live on the BT Sport website and mobile app for BT Sport customers.
Team news
PSG have only a couple of injury concerns as Julian Draxler and Timothee Pembele battle knee issues, while Vitinha is a doubt after picking up a knock at the weekend. The rest of the squad is available to Christophe Galtier with weekend substitutes Sergio Ramos, Neymar, Nuno Mendes and Renato Sanches all set to return to the starting XI.
By contrast, Juventus have a number of injury issues and they could travel to Paris without Paul Pogba, Adrien Rabiot, Wojciech Szczesny, Marley Ake, Kaio Jorge and Federico Chiesa. Mattia Perin has been deputising for Szczesny in goal, while Leonardo Bonucci is likely to return to the line-up at centre-back, shifting Danilo to right-back, and Dusan Vlahovic could get the nod over Arkadiusz Milik up top.
Predicted line-ups
PSG XI: Navas; Ramos, Marquinhos, Kimpembe; Hakimi, Sanches, Verratti, Bernat; Messi, Mbappe, Neymar
Juventus XI: Perin; Danilo, Bonucci, Bremer, Sandro; Locatelli, Paredes, McKennie; Cuadrado, Vlahovic, Kostic
Odds
PSG: 1/3
Draw: 9/2
Juventus: 8/1
Prediction
A depleted Juve side look set to struggle in Paris and PSG should be able to begin their quest for a first-ever Champions League title with a comfortable win. PSG 3-1 Juventus.
