PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN commence their Champions League title defence this week amid injury concerns and a challenging schedule following their historic victory last season.
The French champions ended their continental drought by defeating Inter Milan in May’s final after a marathon 65-game campaign that concluded with a Club World Cup loss to Chelsea.
Manager Luis Enrique acknowledges the difficulty of retaining the trophy while managing player fatigue after a shortened offseason break.
PSG will miss Ballon d’Or contender Ousmane Dembele and young star Desire Doue for Wednesday’s opening match against Atalanta due to injuries.
The new Champions League format provides some margin for error with 24 of 36 teams advancing from the league phase despite potential early setbacks.
“Getting five wins and a draw to finish in the top eight is difficult,“ admitted Luis Enrique about direct qualification to the last 16.
Six Premier League clubs feature in this season’s competition, representing one-sixth of all participants and highlighting English football’s financial dominance.
UEFA’s deputy general secretary Giorgio Marchetti insists the new format has enhanced the competition despite concerns about competitive balance.
The tournament features heavyweight clashes including Liverpool against Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich versus Chelsea in the opening week.
Smaller clubs like Kazakhstan’s Kairat Almaty and Norway’s Bodo/Glimt will benefit significantly from participation fees starting at 18.62 million euros.
Champions League winners can earn over 100 million euros in prize money with PSG reportedly collecting nearly 150 million euros total last season. – AFP
