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Man United vs Paris Saint-Germain: Three plotlines to get the blood racing
Aug 08 2026 08:48 · By onefootball.com · 9 Reads
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Manchester United will take on Paris Saint-Germain this afternoon in Gothenburg, Sweden.
History
The Red Devils will play their second pre-season game in Sweden after defeating Atletico Madrid 2-1 in Stockholm last Saturday.
Manchester United have faced PSG four times in their history.
Each side has won twice. Interestingly, PSG have won both games at Old Trafford, while United have been victorious at the Parc des Princes.
Famously, United pulled off a stunning comeback to beat PSG 3-1 in France and knock the French giants out of the Champions League in 2019.
Here are three storylines to get the blood racing ahead of the match.
Return of World Cup stars
The Red Devils have gradually welcomed back most of their squad since the World Cup, but today’s squad will feature the first pre-season action for some key stars.
Amad returned for the first time last Saturday, but Bruno Fernandes, Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui have all been included after returning to training last week.
Matheus Cunha is also back after Brazilian national team duty, and Senne Lammens, but they have been left out with a minor illness.
Youri Tielemans debut
The Red Devils have already seen new signing Andrey Santos from Chelsea impress this pre-season.
Fellow arrivals Karl Darlow and Tynan Thompson have not yet been part of a matchday squad.
Today will give United fans the chance to see much of their revamped midfield, with Tielemans likely to make his first ever appearance for the club in this glamour tie.
Champions League test
Pre-season results cannot be interpreted as universal truths about a team’s progress, but they do have their uses.
United will have been pleased to perform so well against Atletico Madrid as they prepare to test themselves on the elite European stage of the Champions League again this season.
PSG, having won the last two Champions Leagues, will provide a wonderful test of how much United can or cannot compete with Europe’s best.
Featured image Alex Grimm via Getty Images