PREVIEW
For more than a decade, Paris Saint-Germain’s Qatari owners have spent lavishly to attract big stars.
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Their goal was to make the club profitable, to erase the amateurish image of a side often associated with hooligans, and to build a competitive team capable of winning the Champions League.
Following the exits of Messi to Inter Miami and Neymar to Saudi Arabia team Al-Hilal in previous years, the departure of Mbappé to Real Madrid this summer marked the end of an era at PSG, where relying on the individual skills of star players and splashing money have been the norm since the 2011 Qatari takeover.
The biggest question mark going into the season was PSG’s ability to maintain a potent attack without its best player. With two quick and powerful players on the wings — Ousmane Dembélé and Badley Barcola — partnering Marco Asensio in a false No. 9 role, PSG seems to have found the right answer.
The team has scored 16 goals, conceding just three, and boasts the best goal difference after four Ligue matches since Reims in 1952. Only Marseille forward Mason Greenwood has more goals than Barcola and Dembélé, while Neves leads the league with three assists.
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PREDICTED LINEUPS
Paris Saint-Germain: Safonov(gk), Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes, Ruiz, Vitinha, Neves ,Dembele, Asensio, Barcola
Girona: Gazzaniga(gk), Frances, Lopez, Blind, Gutierrez, Martin, Romeu, Solis, Tsygankov, Ruiz, Danjuma
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