Manchester City v Paris Saint-Germain: unbeaten starts collide in Champions League

Manchester City welcome reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain to the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday, with both sides seeking to strengthen their early position in the Champions League league phase.

The meeting is the first between the clubs since PSG’s 4-2 home win over City in the 2024-25 edition. Manchester City arrive in emphatic form after a 3-0 victory at Liverpool, who played the final stages with 10 men, on their return to competitive action following the club’s conviction for breaching Premier League financial rules.

That result preserved City’s perfect Premier League record after six matches and kept them top of the table. It also extended Enzo Maresca’s start as manager to eight wins from eight matches in all competitions, with his team scoring 23 goals – an average of 2.87 per game.

City’s run has come amid uncertainty over the outcome of their appeal, but they responded to a chorus of boos with a composed performance at Anfield. The travelling section, filled with bananas, was likely to have enjoyed the result after weeks of what the article describes as unwarranted taunts from rival supporters.

Pep Guardiola, Maresca’s predecessor, will attend the Etihad for the first time since ending his legendary 10-year reign last season. City’s last start to a campaign featuring nine successive victories in all competitions came during Guardiola’s first season at the club in 2016-17.

Manchester City have lost only one of their past 25 home games in the Champions League group or league phase, winning 21 and drawing three. They beat Porto 2-0 in a competitive opening match five weeks ago, but have lost two of their past three meetings with PSG.

The French club lead the 36-team league phase after one match, having beaten Slovan Bratislava 6-1 at home in early September. Luis Enrique’s side endured a difficult start in Ligue 1, taking only two points from their opening three games, but have since won three in succession against Brest, Marseille and Le Mans. They beat Le Mans 3-1 at Parc des Princes on Saturday with a heavily rotated side.

PSG have not won on any of their four previous visits to the blue half of Manchester, drawing once and losing three times. Their three Champions League defeats there have come by an aggregate score of 5-1. However, they are unbeaten in their past 11 UEFA competition matches against English clubs, with eight wins and three draws – one short of Real Madrid’s record of 11.

City have no injury concerns. Phil Foden returns after serving a three-match league suspension for his red card against Manchester United on 13 September, while Jeremy Doku could start after scoring and assisting at Liverpool. Erling Haaland has scored eight goals in eight appearances this season.

Senny Mayulu is PSG’s only minor fitness concern. Ousmane Dembele and Nuno Mendes are expected to return after being rested, while Marquinhos, William Pacho, Vitinha, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ferran Torres are also in contention. Torres scored a hat-trick against Slovan Bratislava and faces his former club.

The suggested bets are both teams to score with fewer than 4.5 goals at 2.05, Ferran Torres to score or assist at 2.25, and Jeremy Doku to make a decisive contribution at 2.50. Despite City’s form, the prediction is for an entertaining draw.