With the highly anticipated Champions League final just a week away, Paris Saint-Germain held a crucial full-scale rehearsal on Saturday in Poissy. To fine-tune their preparations for the May 30th showdown against Arsenal in Budapest, coach Luis Enrique orchestrated an intense internal friendly match at the Campus PSG grounds. This high-intensity scrimmage saw two teams of eleven players battle it out for over an hour, ensuring the squad maintained peak match rhythm.

The two competing squads were structured as follows:

Black Team: Marin – Fanne Drame, Zabarnyi, Hernandez, Mendes – Mayulu, Neves, Beraldo – Doué, Ramos, Barcola.

White Team: Safonov – Zaïre-Emery, Pacho, Marquinhos, Cordier – Dro, Vitinha, Ruiz – Mbaye, Lee, Kvaratskhelia.

Notably, Ousmane Dembélé and Achraf Hakimi were the only two players absent from the main internal clash. While they did not join the scrimmage, both the French forward and Moroccan defender engaged in individual training sessions. Internally, there is no concern regarding their fitness; the coaching staff simply opted for a cautious approach, and both stars are fully expected to feature in the Champions League final in Budapest against the Gunners. Encouragingly, Nuno Mendes and Willian Pacho, who missed the last Ligue 1 fixture against Paris FC, were active participants.

For this significant practice, Luis Enrique also integrated several promising young talents, including Abdou Fanne Drame, Rayan Abo El Nay, Thomas Cordier, and Yanis Khafi. Among the goal scorers during the spirited contest were Vitinha, Ibrahim Mbaye, and Gonçalo Ramos.

Return to training Tuesday

The training match unfolded before a passionate crowd of 1000 ultras, invited by the club to express gratitude for their unwavering support throughout the season. Their presence also served to simulate a genuine stadium atmosphere and match conditions. Members of the Collectif Ultras Paris seized the opportunity to convey messages of encouragement, notably unfurling a banner proclaiming, “Once is historic, twice is legendary.” Additionally, over 150 children from PSG for Communities were in attendance, personally invited by President Nasser Al-Khelaïfi.

Following the spirited encounter, Marquinhos and his teammates graciously presented their jerseys and signed balls to the delighted supporters in attendance. The squad will now enjoy a period of rest on Sunday and Monday before returning to the training ground on Tuesday, entering the final crucial phase of their Champions League preparations.