Defending Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain face Coupe de France holders FC Nantes in the French season curtain raiser in Tel Aviv on Sunday. The Trophee des Champions is the first piece of recognized silverware up for grabs this domestic campaign and it will be Christophe Galtier’s competitive debut as Les Parisiens’ new head coach. Former PSG boss Antoine Kombouare and his Canaris side stand in his way and Kylian Mbappe also misses out due to domestic suspension.
Here are our storylines, how you can watch the match & more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Sunday, Jul. 31 | Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
- Location: Bloomfield Stadium — Tel Aviv, Israel
- TV: beIN Sports | Live stream: FuboTV
- Odds: PSG -300; Draw +450; FCN +700 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
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Storylines
PSG: New signing Nordi Mukiele is in the squad for this weekend’s clash, but fellow recent arrival Hugo Ekitike will have to wait for his debut. Another summer signing, Vitinha, has been involved during preseason and should make his full debut here. With Mbappe banned, Lionel Messi and Neymar should lead the Parisien attack while homegrown youngsters Arnaud Kalimuendo and Warren Zaire-Emery have earned admiring glances during the tour of Japan.
Nantes: Star men Alban Lafont, Ludovic Blas and Moses Simon are all in Kombouare’s traveling party while loanees Evann Guessand and Mostafa Mohamed should fill the void left by Randal Kolo Muani who left for Eintracht Frankfurt this summer. Moussa Sissoko adds experience to the group with European soccer returning to Stade de la Beaujoire for the first time since 2004. Keep an eye on 20-year-old French youth international Quentin Merlin who is the latest Maison Jaune youth academy graduate to come out of their famed Joneliere base.
Prediction
Pick: PSG should win this, but Nantes will make them work hard for their victory. It would not be a surprise if this one is tight up until the end and then the men from the capital pull away. Losing to Lille OSC here last season got the campaign off to a poor start and although domestic results masked that, it was ultimately an indicator of the failure to come. Galtier will want to avoid following in Pochettino’s footsteps so expect both teams to score, but PSG to triumph in the end.
