Paris Saint Germain will kick start their Japan tour with a match against Kawasaki Frontale on Wednesday at the Japan National Stadium.
The French giants already registered a comfortable win over Ligue 2 side Quevily-Rouen in their first pre-season friendly and will face three Japanese teams from now on.
Kawasaki won the Japanese title last term and have been one of the most successful teams in recent times. They are currently in third place in the J League and are eight points behind first placed Yokohama Marinos but have played two games less than the league leaders.
They got the better of Gamba Osaka in the last match and have had a sufficient rest prior to their match against Lionel Messi’s side. They cannot be taken lightly as on their day they can inflict a severe damage on their opponents regardless of their strengths.
PSG had a pretty underwhelming last season as except the Ligue 1 they couldn’t reflect their domination in the other competitions as they failed to live up to the expectations.
The trio of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar didn’t create that desired magic and they are expected to turn around things in the next campaign.
Except for the arrival of Vitinha and Hugo Ekitike PSG haven’t made any significant signings so far in the summer but they are expected to undergo a sea of changes as new manager Christopher Galtier will be looking to implement a different system at the club.
Georginio Wijnaldum, Ander Herrera and Julian Draxler are not with the squad in Japan and their future could be up in the air. Presnel Kimpembe has been a subject of interest for Chelsea but the defender has not been left out so far.
PSG will start their Ligue 1 journey against Clermont Foot on the 7th of August and they will try to keep up the same momentum in the next season too.
Paris Saint Germain vs Kawasaki Frontale
Date: 20th July 2022
Time: 4:00 PM IST
Venue: Japan National Stadium
Paris Saint Germain vs Kawasaki Frontale
Team News
Paris Saint Germain
Japan crowd could get a taste of Sergio Ramos who arrived from Real Madrid last season. Lionel Messi also will likely be given sufficient time on the pitch to get acclimatised to the new system.
Kawasaki Frontale
Yasuto Wazikaka is a doubt as he was subbed off in the last match after suffering an injury. Manager Toru Oniki might have the service of Jesiel and Ryoyta Oshima who were not a part of the last match.
Paris Saint Germain Possible Lineup
Donnarumma; Marquinhos, Kimpembe, Ramos; Hakimi, Paredes, Vitinha, Mendes; Messi, Mbappe, Neymar
Kawasaki Frontale Possible Lineup
Jung; Yamane, Taniguchi, Kurumaya, Sasaki; Songkrasin, Tachibanada, Tsukagawa; Ienaga, Damiao, Marcinho
Predictions
Kawasaki are having a good season and PSG will have to be at their best as some of their players still need to be in good shape.
Paris Saint Germain vs Kawasaki Frontale Fantasy XI NO. 1
Donnarumma; Kimpembe, Ramos, Sasaki; Vitinha, Paredes, Songkrasin, Tachibananda; Messi, Mbappe, Marcinho
Paris Saint Germain vs Kawasaki Frontale Fantasy XI NO. 2
Donnarumma; Kimpembe, Ramos, Sasaki,Yamane ; Vitinha, Paredes, Songkrasin; Messi, Mbappe, Marcinho
