Trophée des Champions Preview: PSG clash with Monaco
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We're only four days into 2025, and already there's a trophy at stake for two of the top sides in Ligue 1 McDonald's! Tomorrow's Trophée des Champions will see AS Monaco take on Paris Saint-Germain in Qatar, in a rematch of their thrilling league encounter last month. Read on for all the latest on the big game!
PSG look to stay unbeaten
After beating AS Monaco 4-2 last month in the final Ligue 1 McDonald's match of 2024, the holders, who won the domestic double last year under Luis Enrique, as well as the previous edition of this competition against Toulouse FC, the Parisians are eager to continue their unbeaten domestic start to the season. With Gianluigi Donnarumma back from a scary injury, the Spaniard will have a full complement of players upon who to call, and will be both eager to win a trophy and wary of a plucky AS Monaco.
Speaking pre-match, Enrique emphasized this, saying, "It's a final against one of the best teams in Ligue 1. So we'll need to be at a very high level. But we're prepared, and we'll see tomorrow what we're capable of. It's going to be a special game, with a trophy at stake, and we're very motivated by the idea of winning."
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First session in Qatar for our Parisians ✅#PSGVisitQatarTour2025 🇶🇦 pic.twitter.com/xiiu4aRMgv— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) January 3, 2025
quiet confidence for LES Monégasques
In order to keep up their sterling record in the competition, though, the capital side will have to face a Principality side who gave them all they could handle in the league just a few weeks ago, led by a smart manager in Adi Hütter, who was just given a contract extension. Not only will his relatively young Monaco side be brimming with confidence from their strong play in that match, but they'll also welcome back captain and midfield linchpin Denis Zakaria, who is likely to start in midfield.
Speaking to the press before the match, Zakaria underscored that a desire to win a first title since 2017 for the club (and the first of his career) will be a massive motivation, and that despite that earlier loss, the team understands tomorrow's stakes: "We played a good match against them, but we will have to improve our concentration, because unfortunately there were a few lapses. Also, defensively we could have done better. But tomorrow is another match, we have analysed our mistakes, and we will do our best to win and bring home the trophy."
Predicted lineups:
Paris Saint-Germain (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes; Zaïre-Emery, Vitinha, Neves; Dembélé, Ramos, Barcola
AS Monaco (4-2-3-1): Köhn; Vanderson, Kehrer, Salisu, Henrique (or Ouattara); Camara, Zakaria; Akliouche, Minamino (or Golovin), Ben Seghir, Embolo
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