Paris Saint-Germain have started the Ligue 1 season perfectly after three wins out of three, but bringing this top form to the Champions League looks difficult.
PSG have won close to 50 trophies, but it is the coveted Champions League that continues to haunt them as they are yet to lift the most important trophy in Europe.
They managed to get to the final of the competition in 2020 under Thomas Tuchel. This is the closest they have been to lift the trophy, but Bayern Munich ended up winning the final 1-0, with Frenchman Kingsley Coman scoring the goal.
Currently, the bookies are tipping Manchester City to win the competition, with the Premier League side 2/1 to lift the trophy. Last year’s winners, Real Madrid, are 7/2. Meanwhile, PSG is also behind the likes of Arsenal, Barcelona, AC Milan, and Liverpool, with their Champions League odds set at 20/1.
It is no shock to see that PSG isn’t a favorite at this current time due to the loss of Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid on a free transfer. Their former talisman, who won the World Cup with France, managed a very impressive 256 goals and 108 assists during his time at the club.
The fact that they have never won the tournament also goes against them when looking into the probability of them winning the tournament.
Despite this, anything can happen in tournament football, and if players like Bradley Barcola, who already has four goals in three Ligue 1 appearances this season, perform at their best, then the Ligue 1 stars will feel like they can cause a shock in the Champions League.
It is always going to be hard to replace Mbappe, and PSG definitely now looks a little bit weaker up front. Their attacking lineup includes Barcola and Ousmane Dembele on the wings, with competition for the now-vacant central forward between Randal Kolo Muani and Marco Asensio.
It looks like the bookies see their current squad as one that is weaker than some of the other European giants in the Champions League as clubs who have a much more likely chance of lifting the trophy.
The 2024/25 Champions League season begins on the week commencing 16th September, with PSG facing La Liga side Girona. They will be hoping that they can win their first match to build momentum as they try to achieve greatness by winning the one trophy that they are so desperate for.
