Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco return to France on Monday from Qatar to face a gruelling six games in 17 and 19 days respectively in Ligue 1, Coupe de France and the Champions Leauge that will define the success of their seasons.
On Sunday night at the 974 Stadium in Doha, PSG beat Monaco to claim the 2025 Tropheé des Champions. It was a record-extending 13th success for PSG in a competition that has been played in various guises since 1949 between the first division champions and the winners of the Coupe de France.
In the 2024 final against Toulouse at the Parc des Princes, Kang-in Lee and Kylian Mbappé were on target for PSG, the Ligue 1 champions. A year later and some 6,000 kilometres away from western Paris, Ousmane Dembélé scored PSG’s winner in stoppage time.
“It was a very difficult match, against an opponent with some very high quality players,” PSG boss Luis Enrique told the club’s TV station after the game in Doha.
“Winning a trophy is always a source of joy,” Enrique added. “Starting 2025 in this way gives us a boost and confidence, so we have to take advantage of it and think about the future.”
Indeed. The coming weeks will be action packed. Next Sunday, PSG will host Saint-Etienne in Ligue 1 aiming to maintain their seven-point advantage over second placed Marseille who thrashed Le Havre 5-1 on Sunday night.
Last season PSG reached the semi-finals but they have struggled in the new format of this year’s campaign. Gone are the eight pools of four teams with the top two advancing to the last-16.
Whatever the result of the game with City, the Ligue 1 match against Reims on 25 January will be overshadowed by the trip to Stuttgart for the final game in the Champions League on 29 January.
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