Right now, all eyes are on the Euros 2024, where France is looking to win its third title. Yet, we only need to look a little way into the future to see that club football will soon be back and that PSG will once again be battling to try and win the biggest prize in European club football.
The Team’s Record in the Tournament
PSG is one of just two French teams to win a European trophy, although this was the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup back in 1996, followed by the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2001. Despite dominating French football and signing some of the world’s best players, it wasn’t until 2020 that the team reached the UEFA Champions League final. On that occasion, they lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich in a tense affair at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal.
Hopes were high that PSG had broken some sort of mental barrier and would soon be lifting the trophy. The 2020-21 campaign saw them top Group H ahead of RB Leipzig and Manchester United, before sweeping past Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the knock-out stages. It felt like the time had finally come, but PSG fell in the semi-final, losing 4-1 to Manchester City.
The following season, they finished second in Group A – behind Manchester City – before losing to Real Madrid 3-2 in the first knock-out round. The 2022-23 campaign saw them finish behind Benfica in Group H and suffer a 3-0 defeat to Bayern Munich at the start of the knock-out round. Last season, they were second behind Borussia Dortmund in Group F and made it past Real Sociedad and Barcelona, before losing to Borussia Dortmund in the semi-final.
What Are the Odds for the 2024-25 Campaign?
PSG once again drops straight in the league phase after winning their tenth Ligue 1 title in the last 12 seasons. A new format is being brought in that will have every team play eight games in the league phase, but it’s not yet clear how this might affect the team’s chances.
When we look at the latest odds for the next Champions League winner, Manchester City is the favorite to lift the trophy and repeat their triumph in the 2023 final. Behind them, reigning champions Real Madrid are second favorites to win and extend their record number of European Cup / Champions League triumphs to 16.
English teams Arsenal and Liverpool are next on the list, followed by Spanish giants Barcelona, Bayern Munich from Germany, and the Italians of Inter Milan. It’s only after all these teams that we see PSG listed, so it’s clear that the French outfit is sitting just outside the group of main favorites at this early stage.
A strong start to the season should see their odds tumble and may help PSG regain its place among the favorites. If you believe it’s too early in the season to bet on the outright winner, you might prefer to look for the soccer betting odds on individual games. In this way, you can bet on Ligue 1 games and their early Champions League matches while you try to work out how strong the team is this season. You can also bet on live games as they take place, giving you a way to try and predict the rest of the game and possibly cash out early if things start going your way.
The Possible Changes to the Team
The long-anticipated transfer of Kylian Mbappe is one of the main soccer stories this summer, although it didn’t come as a massive surprise after the many times he had been linked with a move to Spain. There’s no doubt that the loss of the club’s all-time leading goalscorer is going to create a gap to be filled, but what are the other big moves this summer that are likely to determine their Champions League fate?
The Euros taking place in Germany just now has caused the transfer market to start slowly, with few big deals being reported so far. Lille defender Leny Yoro is among the top players being discussed right now, with Real Madrid said to be favorites for him until recently. However, the latest reports suggest that PSG has moved ahead of their rivals in the quest to sign him.
Murillo, who currently plays for Nottingham Forest in England, is another center-back linked with the Parisian club. With defensive options in short supply for the start of the new season, we can expect to see more links of this nature. Feyenoord defender Lutsharel Geertruida is another player recently linked with a move to Paris, as it seems that they could enter a transfer battle with Liverpool to sign him.
Fans will be hoping that this is finally the year the Champions League trophy is brought to Paris. For the moment, the early signs are that the club will be active in the transfer market as they look to replace Mbappe and shore up their defense. Time will tell whether it’s enough to drive them to glory this time.
