PSG has won three straight matches after a four-game winless run, and that is bad news for Manchester City and Barcelona, their next Champions League opponents.
After four consecutive matches without a win between Aug. 16 and Sept. 4, Luis Enrique’s PSG finally seems to be waking up.
Paris Saint-Germain started the season by defeating Aston Villa 2-1 in the UEFA Super Cup on Aug. 12, but after that, they lost 0-1 against Lens in the French Super Cup, drew 2-2 against Rennes and 2-2 against Lille in the league, and lost 1-2 against Monaco on Sept. 4.
After this winless streak, Enrique defeated Slovan Bratislava 6-1 on Matchday 1 of the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League, then returned to league action to defeat Brest 1-0 and Marseille 2-1 in Le Classique on Sept. 20.
This is obviously good news for the Parisian team, but it is also bad news for their upcoming UEFA Champions League opponents, including Manchester City and Barcelona. Why? Because that is how Luis Enrique’s PSG is.
Anyone who has followed this team over the last three years can attest that, whether early in the season, midway through the season, or toward the end of the season, they always go through slumps in which, despite having possession of the ball and creating chances, they end up failing to score and either lose or draw matches, dropping important points because they are not efficient in front of goal.
The problem doesn't seem to be that Gonçalo Ramos left or that Bradley Barcola and Kang-in Lee left, because, to be honest, Ferran Torres has been delivering: he's scored seven goals from seven shots since arriving at the Parisian team in France. In addition, Manes Akliouche and Mika Godts, who arrived to replace Lee and Barcola, are also doing well, although they haven't yet secured a definitive starting spot.
Now, the fact that they have already put together three matches with three consecutive victories, including a thrashing in the Champions League and a victory in Le Classique, the most important match in France, is a very important and much-needed morale boost for the Parisian team, and it represents bad news for both Manchester City and Barcelona.
Why specifically these two teams? Because they are the next two elite teams that will face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
Enzo Maresca’s side is coming off a strong domestic run, but it remains to be seen whether they can replicate it in Europe. Hansi Flick’s team, meanwhile, is also coming off a strong domestic run and is, so far, the most attractive team in Spain, ahead of Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid.
The worst thing that could happen to these two teams at this point in the season is to suffer a convincing defeat against an elite team in the Champions League. The only team that comes to mind that can do that today is Paris Saint-Germain. Not the PSG from the start of the season that could not even beat Lille or Rennes, but the PSG that defeated Slovan Bratislava 6-1 and beat Marseille on Sunday.
The patterns of play are already reappearing; the midfield is finding its rhythm again, and both João Neves and Vitinha look better than they did during the World Cup or at the start of the season. Both Dembélé and Kvaratskhelia are once again showing glimpses of what they did last season, and everything suggests the trend will now be upward rather than downward.
