UEFA Champions League: Will new format help Kylian Mbappe-less PSG’s chances of winning it all?

Like everyone else this season, Paris Saint-Germain are preparing to enter the new-look UEFA Champions League next week when the reformatted league phase gets underway. Luis Enrique led the French giants to a surprise semifinal last campaign yet it felt underwhelming given the way that Les Parisiens lost out to eventual beaten finalists Borussia Dortmund. With Kylian Mbappe now gone but PSG looking more fluent than they have done in a while, how the Ligue 1 champions fare in Europe will be one of this term’s most intriguing continental subplots.

So, will the new UCL format help or hurt Paris? First of all, a reminder of who they will be up against between now and next January: Girona (home), Arsenal (away), PSV Eindhoven (home), Atletico Madrid (home), Bayern Munchen (away), Red Bull Salzburg (away), Manchester City (home) and VfB Stuttgart (away).

Here’s how the competition’s new format could impact them:

Ligue 1

The seemingly endless debate regarding whether or not French clubs can truly compete in European competition suffered last year as Ligue 1 provided one of the most unexpectedly competitive showings in the UEFA coefficient scramble. PSG and Olympique de Marseille enjoyed deep runs in the Champions League and Europa League respectively yet OM’s Championnat drop-off means that Roberto De Zerbi has inherited a squad which is not qualified for continental action. Yet this, combined with a challenging but not impossible UCL path towards the round of 16, should actually benefit Paris. Luis Enrique’s men should be challenged regularly by Marseille who can focus on domestic matters under their new Italian boss which — in theory — should keep PSG competitive during what used to be a lull period over the winter break until the Knockout Phase of the Champions League got underway.

Coupe de France

Factor in the addition of Coupe de France action in early 2025 at the same time as the final few UCL games, of which one is Manchester City at home, and there is unlikely to be much let-up for PSG unlike previous years when the team has been lured into something of a false sense of security. A large lead atop Ligue 1 and just the Coupe de France to deal with instead of the Coupe de la Ligue as well contributed towards plyers switching off and being unable to switch back on when the crucial European games returned. Also, given the clear depth that Les Parisiens now possess across most positions, Luis Enrique’s side are well equipped to deal which what promises to be an eventful start to 2025.

Trophee des Champions

Contributing towards that will be the rearranged Trophee des Champions which has missed its preseason slot for the second consecutive year and is now likely to take place at the start of 2025 and very possibly in France once more. This one-off games will be against AS Monaco this time around, so a UCL caliber opponent which should ensure that it is not the midseason friendly of sorts that it was last year against Toulouse.

Verdict

Overall, the new format — on paper at least — should benefit PSG. A longer league phase should keep Luis Enrique and his players on edge for the crucial part of the season and  mix of challenging fixtures against varied opponents should see them do better than many seem to expect given their draw. Paris tends to fare better over one-off games which is also an interesting new wrinkle so do not be surprised if the French giants are competitive again in terms of booking an automatic round of 16 berth.

So who will be hurt the most?

Without having actually seen the new-look UCL in play, it seems like Premier League clubs are at a disadvantage given that the English clubs in Europe have the EFL Cup and the FA Cup to think about as well as the EPL itself on top of a longer league phase on the continental stage. Squad depth and title aspirations will be tested more than ever and Chelsea creating a separate list for UEFA Conference League action without the likes of Cole Palmer indicates that we should expected to see Premier League teams challenged this time around. PSG no longer have those same concerns as the Coupe de la Ligue was retired in 2020 after making the early months of each new calendar year nightmarish with the combination of Ligue 1, Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue 1 games before the resumption of the Champions League.