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PSG Seek Three Straight Champions League Titles as New Season Begins

From Vanguard · () English

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

At a glance

Newswire From a news agency Ongoing story
  • Paris Saint-Germain begin the new Champions League league phase seeking a third consecutive title, a feat achieved by only three clubs in the competition’s history.
  • PSG have struggled in the league phase under the new 36-team format, finishing outside the top eight in each of the past two seasons.
  • Arsenal, five English clubs, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid are among the leading contenders.

Paris Saint-Germain begin another Champions League campaign this week with a chance to enter the competition’s smallest and most exclusive club: teams that have won the title three years in a row.

PSG retained the trophy last season by beating Arsenal on penalties in Budapest, defending the title they had won for the first time 12 months earlier. Luis Enrique’s team has already matched a feat previously achieved only by Real Madrid in the modern Champions League, winning the competition in consecutive seasons.

A third straight title would place PSG alongside Real Madrid, Ajax and Bayern Munich. Madrid won three in succession from 2016 to 2018, Ajax from 1971 to 1973 and Bayern from 1974 to 1976. Madrid also won the first five editions of the European Cup, from 1956 to 1960.

“Our objectives are clear. I want to win important trophies and there are none more important than the Champions League,” Luis Enrique said. The coach also led Barcelona to the title in 2015.

PSG’s recent success has come under the new format, in which 36 teams play eight league-phase matches against eight different opponents. The French champions struggled in that phase during both of the last two campaigns, finishing outside the top eight and needing an additional playoff to reach the last 16. This season they will face Manchester City, Barcelona and Aston Villa among others.

Arsenal are seeking the next step after losing in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final over the past three years. They topped last season’s league phase with a perfect record but begin this campaign away to Napoli. Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United and Aston Villa give England five representatives. Bayern Munich, Real Madrid under returning coach Jose Mourinho and Barcelona are also expected to challenge, while Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid could contend.

Our objectives are clear. I want to win important trophies and there are none more important than the Champions League.

· Luis EnriqueThe PSG coach described the club’s objective at the start of its title defense.
About this summary

Originally published by Vanguard in English. 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.

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