Paris Saint-Germain’s UCL title defense starts tonight as they entertain Atalanta at the Parc des Princes

Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League title defense starts tonight as they entertain Atalanta at the Parc des Princes. It’s one of the standout fixtures of the opening round, with both sides seeking a winning start.

Paris Saint-Germain trounced Inter 5-0 in last season’s final. In doing so, they conquered their final peak, lifting the only trophy they had been missing. Finally, years of heavy investments paid off as Luis Enrique guided his team to the top of Europe.

Reluctant to rest on their laurels, PSG won the Super Cup in August, beating Tottenham Hotspur on penalties. They’ve started the new Ligue 1 season in a similar vein, winning all four matches to get their title defense off to a flying start.

In contrast to Les Parisiens’ formidable form, Atalanta stuttered at the beginning of Ivan Juric’s tenure. After severing ties with Europa League-winning boss Gian Piero Gasperini, they’ve signed the Croatian coach to fill the void.

Despite contrasting football philosophies between Gasperini and Juric, Atalanta could be a tricky opposition for any team in Europe this term. Back-to-back draws at the start of the new Serie A season didn’t make for promising reading.

However, Juric got off the mark last weekend as Atalanta humbled Lecce 4-1 at the Gewiss Stadium. It was a perfect warm-up for their second Champions League clash against the perennial French champions.

Paris Saint-Germain

As one of the most heavily fancied sides to hoist the trophy this season, PSG head into proceedings as odds-on favorites. Yet, this may not be a walk in the park for Les Parisiens, just like they met Atalanta in the Covid-plagued 2020 season. Indeed, they had to go to great lengths to beat La Dea 2-1 in a one-off quarter-final tie.

Enrique will expect a more convincing triumph this time, especially after overseeing a comfortable 2-0 home win over Lens at the weekend. Victory would set the tone for another knockout qualification, a feat they’ve achieved in their last 13 group/league stage appearances in the Champions League.

Synonymous with formidable European starts, PSG have racked up eight wins and three draws across their last 13 curtain-raising Champions League fixtures (L2). They got the better of Girona at the beginning of the 2024/25 season, a result which forms part of Enrique’s remarkable 65% win ratio at Europe’s top table as a manager (W40, D6, L16).

Atalanta

One of Atalanta’s top assignments in Paris will be to cope with PSG’s lethal frontline. Indeed, Les Parisiens have netted 3+ goals in four of their last six Champions League outings at the Parc des Princes. Therefore, Juric must find a way to stop the likes of Bradley Barcola and Goncalo Ramos, with Atalanta vying for another positive result on French soil.

Except for the abovementioned loss to PSG five years ago, they have avoided defeat in all four remaining matches against Ligue 1 clubs (W2, D2). On another impressive note, Atalanta have gone unbeaten across 13 of their last 14 group/league phase games in the Champions League (W8, D5).

Juric’s side may not be intimidated by their opposition’s stature, even though they leave the home comforts of their Gewiss Stadium. For perspective, the Italian giants have not lost any of their last eight away matches in Europe’s most prestigious competition (W5, D3). It’s also worth noting that they’ve got on the scoresheet in 15 consecutive away European games.