The Biggest Test of the Pre-Season: RBL Meets PSG!

The final test is here!

Exactly one week before RB Leipzig play the first competitive match of the season, there’s one final test to take place this Saturday at 6:00PM (CEST) in the Red Bull Arena. The French serial champion Paris St. Germain are our guests and put our Red Bull to the hardest of tests. Perfect conditions for a great 90 minutes as part of the official season opening.

Here are the most important details about the opponent RBL will face on Saturday evening!

Tickets for the Top Test against PSG

Details, Prices, Discounts

12 League Championships

In their long history, Paris St. Germain has already won twelve French Championship titles and 15 Cups. In the recent past in particular, our opponents have dominated Ligue 1. Since 2013, there have only been two seasons in which the champions in France were not PSG.

RBL has met the Parisians several times in recent years. In the semi-finals of the 2020 Champions League, we lost 3-0 to PSG. In the following two seasons, PSG was our team’s group opponent in the UCL. In the two home games of those seasons, we managed a 2-1 win and a 2-2 draw.

PSG’s most important achievements:

12x Frech Champions (1986, 1994, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024)
15x French Cup Winners (1982, 1983, 1993, 1995, 1998, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2024)
1x Winner of the Cup Winners’ Cup(1996)
1x UEFA Intertoto Cup (2001)

Intense training with a smile

Watch the video

The manager

Luis Enrique took over PSG in the 2023/24 season, succeeding Christophe Galtier. As a professional, Luis Enrique once played more than 150 games for Real Madrid and more than 200 for FC Barcelona. He also coached the Catalan from 2014 to 2017, following with a stint as Spain’s national manager.

In his first season, Enrique led PSG to the domestic double and to the semi-finals of the Champions League, where Paris narrowly lost to Borussia Dortmund. The Spaniard prefers a 4-3-3 system and relies on possession and high counter-pressing in order to win the ball back deep in the opposition’s eleven if it is lost.

The squad

The Paris St. Germain squad includes an old acquaintance, Nordi Mukiele, who was part of RBL from 2018 to 2022. He is not the only player with a Bundesliga past. Former Bayern Munich player Juan Bernat, ex- Borussia Dortmund players Achraf Hakimi and Ousmane Dembele, and former Eintracht Frankfurt striker Randal Kolo Muani most likely ring a bell to most German football fans.

A Portuguese gem arrives, a superstar leaves

The transfermarket keeps on moving. The departure of Paris’ crown jewel, Kylian Mbappe, was made official, with Champions Legue winners Real Madrid taking the Frenchman. Counteracting this loss to their attack, a series of signings have also been announced by PSG, among them Joao Neves. The 19-year-old defensive midfielder is one of the main pieces in the puzzle, set to become one of the cornerstones for the Parisian squad in the years to come.

In their defensive line, Bundesliga talent, Willian Pacho, is close to being announced as part of their revamping efforts. The Eintracht Frankfurt centerback will strengthen PSG, according to several media outlets.

PSG’s signings and departures

Joao Neves (midfield, arriving from Benfica)
Matvey Safonov (goakeeper, from FK Krasnodar)
Kylian Mbappe (attacker, left for Real Madrid after his contract expired)
Hugo Ekitike (attack, made his loan to Eintracht Frankfurt a permanent move)
Renato Sanches (midfield, loaned out to where he started his career: Benfica)

Who will replace Mbappe?

Replacing Kylian Mbappe player for player? A daunting task, almost impossible rather. PSG will try anyway. Even though there are no well-known offensive players to announce as new signings, there are a few players in the current squad who could play an important part in the French serial champion’s new attack. Alongside the experienced Dembele and the two center forwards Kolo Muani and Gonçalo Ramos, winger Bradley Barcola is expected to do perform as well.

Barcola, one of France’s surprises in the EURO 2024, impressed in his first year on the Seine (he came from Lyon in the summer of 2023) with 5 goals and 9 assists in a total of 39 competitive matches. Vitinha could also be an eye-catcher on Saturday at the Red Bull Arena. The central midfielder was one of the assets during Portugal’s European Championship tournament.

Another Parisian midfield strategist has definitely made a name for himself in Germany: Fabian Ruiz was one of the top players for European champions Spain. Manager Luis Enrique will make a last minute decision on whether he will be able to play on the pitch on Saturday. The 28-year-old is back from his European Championship vacation.

Players to watch

Bradley Barcola (French national player, a well-versed attacker)
Fabian Ruiz (European Champion with Spain, the midfield’s referent)
Vitinha (Portuguese national player, Nationalspieler, a handy asset in midfield)