Manchester City take on Paris Saint-Germain at the Etihad on Wednesday with the European champions arriving amid a week dominated by events far beyond the pitch. PSG have won the last two Champions League titles, but the build-up in Manchester has centred on the independent commission’s finding that City broke more than 100 Premier League financial regulations between 2009 and 2018.
Quick facts
- Manchester City host PSG on Wednesday at the Etihad Stadium.
- PSG arrive as winners of the previous two Champions League editions.
- City have appealed after being found guilty of more than 100 Premier League financial-rule breaches.
- The alleged breaches cover the period from 2009 to 2018.
- City beat Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield on Sunday.
The case has overtaken almost every football conversation around the club, from newspaper back pages to pubs and workplaces. The prospect of an administrative relegation and the possible removal of trophies from the affected period has been raised, yet the mood around City has been one of defiance rather than resignation.
That was clear at Anfield. City’s travelling support displayed banners and filled the away end with inflatable bananas, recalling harder days before the club’s rise. The message was that honours might be taken away, but the experiences attached to them cannot be erased.
The players also made their position clear after Sunday’s emphatic win over Liverpool. Their celebrations drew criticism, but Enzo Maresca defended the reaction, pointing to the scale of winning three points at Anfield.
“What were we supposed to do?” Maresca said. “We were delighted on the pitch and even happier in the dressing room. We know how difficult it is to win there.”
The sense of a club closing ranks has extended to Pep Guardiola. The former City manager is expected to be at Wednesday’s match as a show of support for the board he worked with over the last decade.
Guardiola recently told supporters that he stood with them “more than ever” and said the club would come through the situation together. For City, the visit of PSG is therefore not simply another major Champions League night; it is an occasion to present a united front under intense scrutiny.
Teams listed for the Etihad
Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma; O’Reilly, Guéhi, Dias, Nunes; Fernández, Anderson; Doku, Cherki, Semenyo; Haaland.
Manchester City substitutes: Rulli, Bettinelli, Khusanov, Aït-Nouri, Lewis, Reis, Gvardiol, Bouaddi, Kovacic, Foden, Ndiaye.
PSG (4-3-3): Safonov; Mendes, Pacho, Marquinhos, Hakimi; Ruíz, Vitinha, Neves; Kvaratskhelia, Ferran, Dembélé.
PSG substitutes: Chevalier, Zabarnyi, Digne, Hernández, Fernández, Ruiz, Beraldo, Ndjantou, Zaïre-Emery, Doué, Akliouche.
