DistantNews
Support us
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Sports

PSG faces the challenge of matching Real Madrid’s historic three-peat

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire From a news agency New plan
  • Paris Saint-Germain begins its Champions League title defense seeking a third consecutive trophy, a feat only Real Madrid has achieved in the competition’s current format.
  • Thirty-six clubs will play eight league-phase matches each, with the top eight advancing directly to the last 16 and teams placed ninth through 24th entering a playoff round.
  • The final will take place on June 5 at Atlético Madrid’s Metropolitano stadium.

Paris Saint-Germain has a chance to enter a club of one. The French champion begins its Champions League defense this week with the possibility of winning the trophy for a third straight season, matching the run achieved by Real Madrid under Zinedine Zidane from 2016 to 2017.

“We have a unique challenge, trying to match Real Madrid’s consecutive treble. I don’t think anyone else in history has done it apart from Real Madrid, and that is why we are highly motivated,” PSG coach Luis Enrique said weeks ago.

PSG became only the second club to defend the title successfully since the competition adopted its current name after beating Arsenal on penalties in Budapest. The victory capped a season in which the Paris club finished as the best team in Europe, according to the article, and raised the stakes for another campaign.

The new league phase opens with 36 clubs, including four debutants: Italy’s Como, Austria’s LASK Linz, Azerbaijan’s Sabah and Norway’s Viking. Spain and England have the largest representation, with five teams each. Germany and Italy have four apiece, while France has three. Portugal, Turkey, the Netherlands and Norway each have two, and seven other countries complete the field with one club each.

Each team will play eight league-phase matches between Tuesday and Jan. 27. The top eight qualify directly for the last 16, while clubs finishing from ninth to 24th will compete for the remaining places. The knockout rounds will lead to a final at the Metropolitano on June 5. The tournament begins after the transfer window closed, with clubs reshaping squads and making prominent signings and major investments in pursuit of European football’s most prestigious club title.

We have a unique challenge, trying to match Real Madrid’s consecutive treble. I don’t think anyone else in history has done it apart from Real Madrid, and that is why we are highly motivated.

· Luis EnriqueThe Paris Saint-Germain coach described the challenge of seeking a third consecutive Champions League title.
About this summary

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog