New PSG manager Christophe Galtier makes his competitive debut with the French giants as they take on Nantes in the Trophee des Champions on Sunday. It's the first piece of silverware that will be handed out in the 2022/23 French domestic season.
The competition, similar to the Community Shield in England, pits the defending French Ligue 1 champion against the defending domestic French cup winner. PSG topped the Ligue 1 table last season by a whopping 15 points, while Nantes won an upset-laden Coupe de France.
En route to the Coupe de France title, Nantes' fourth in club history, they earned four shutouts in five matches and survived two penalty kick shootouts — in Round of 64 vs. Sochaux and in the semifinals vs. AS Monaco. Nantes beat Galtier's OGC Nice in the final prior to the coach joining PSG.
All eyes on Sunday will be on the new PSG boss and how differently his squad reacts to his management style and philosophy after his predecessor, Mauricio Pochettino, struggled to find the right tactical balance to get the most out of the talent at his disposal.
Additionally, the game will be the first appearance for Neymar and Lionel Messi who have both been linked with transfer moves in recent weeks.
LIVE BLOG: Follow along as PSG takes on Nantes in the Trophee des Champions
PSG vs. Nantes TV channel, live stream
| UK | USA | Canada | Australia | |
| Date | Sun, July 31 | Sun, July 31 | Sun, July 31 | Mon, Aug. 1 |
| Time | 19:00 BST | 14:00 ET | 14:00 ET | 04:00 AEST |
| TV channel | BT Sport 1 | beIN Sports, beIN Espanol | beIN Sports | beIN Sports 3 |
| Streaming | BTSport.com | fuboTV, beIN Connect | fuboTV, beIN Connect | beIN Connect |
USA & Canada: Sunday's match between Paris Saint-Germain and Nantes from Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv, Israel will be televised in the United States and Canada by beIN Sports, which is available for streaming on fuboTV.
Australia: Fans in Australia will also be able to catch the match on beIN Sports linear and streaming platforms.
UK: In the UK, the match can be seen on BT Sport 1 and streamed on BTSport.com.
MORE: 5 reasons why Man City will win the Premier League | 5 reasons for Liverpool
PSG vs. Nantes predicted lineups
Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe all found the back of the net in the most recent friendly against Japanese side Gamba Osaka, and two of them will be ready to lead the front line in the first competitive match of the season.
Unfortunately, Mbappe is suspended for PSG today due to yellow card accumulation in his penultimate league match of last season, his 10th of the campaign. It's Spanish forward Pablo Sarabia who takes over up front, ahead of Mauro Icardi.
New 22-year-old midfielder Vitinha earned significant playing time in preseason, and he starts over Leandro Paredes alongside Marco Verratti.
Gianluigi Donnarumma remains the starter despite his stumbles last season, as Keylor Navas at this point appears to be second-fiddle. However, Navas could be declared the "cup goalkeeper" as many clubs do, meaning he could be in line to start the Trophee des Champions. It remains to be seen how Galtier opts to play the season in net.
PSG starting lineup (3-4-3): Donnarumma (GK) — Kimpembe, Marquinhos, Ramos — Mendes, Verratti, Vitinha, Hakimi — Neymar, Messi, Serabia.
Nantes is coming off a 1-0 loss to Rennes in midweek and closed out its preseason schedule with two wins and two losses. The Canaries will open the Ligue 1 season at Angers on Aug. 7 after finishing in ninth place in 2021/22, 31 points behind league champions PSG.
Prolific creative force Ludovic Blas will head the attack after finishing last season with 15 goals and five assists across all competitions. The remainder of the Nantes attacking line, however, is a patchwork bunch, with Moses Simon and 21-year-old Nice loanee Evann Guessand leading the forward line. Guessand beat Mostafa Mohamed to the striker role alongside more free-flowing attacker Simon.
Nantes starting lineup (5-3-2): Lafont (GK) — Fabio, Pallois, Girotto, Corchia, Appiah — Sissoko, Blas, Chirivella — Simon, Guessand.
🔙👀 Back to work with two new faces. 🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/PcxFt5D05a
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) July 27, 2022
MORE: Atletico Madrid fans show Ronaldo what they think about rumors linking him to the club
PSG vs. Nantes betting betting odds & lines
PSG are understandably huge favorites in the match despite last season's outcome in this same competition which saw them drop a 1-0 result to LOSC Lille. The Parisians still boast one of the best squads in Europe with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe up front.
Goals are expected, and interestingly, Nantes are heavy favorites to find the back of the net as both teams to score is listed at significant minus odds.
| DraftKings | Sports Interaction | |
|---|---|---|
| PSG Win | -280 | -307 |
| Draw | +450 | +403 |
| Nantes Win | +700 | +564 |
| Both teams to score Y / N | -155 / +125 | -172 / +110 |
| Over / Under 3.5 goals | +105 / -120 | -105 / -130 |
| PSG -1.5 | -110 | -112 |
| Nantes +1.5 | -110 | -118 |
