What happens when two malfunctioning attacking teams clash? Usually, one of them finds their mojo again

The Parisians are struggling in France, Borussia Dortmund are stuttering in Germany. Now what? Let them fight each other in the Champions League!

PSG head coach Luis Enrique hinted that he already knows the lineup he will field against Dortmund tonight. Well, he knows everything except whether Manuel Ugarte will play. It would be a heavy blow for Paris Saint-Germain if the Uruguayan couldn't start, especially given his influence on the Parisians' game. Ugarte was injured during the shock 3-2 defeat to Nice on Friday in an incident where he remained on the ground for several minutes, and he is still being evaluated.

If the former Sporting Clube de Portugal midfielder were to skip the game, Danilo Pereira seems best suited to step into the defensive midfielder role, even though the Portuguese player doesn't have the same pressing abilities as the Uruguayan. In addition to the uncertainty surrounding Ugarte and the absence of Marco Asensio, who suffered an injury while with the national team and will be out for several weeks, the only remaining suspense appeared to be the choice of the central forward in the past few hours. According to Luis Enrique's press conference statements, his decision has already been made, likely between Goncalo Ramos and Randal Kolo Muani.

"The Chaaaampioooooonssss"... It begins! The Cityzens defend the crown against revenge-thirsty heavyweights

The 24-year-old Frenchman is favoured by his two attacking partners, Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele, but his profile differs from that of the former Benfica star. The latter provides a fixed point for his teammates and is more of a goal-scoring forward, which could be helpful if he receives enough service, something that didn't happen against Nice. The Parisian squad met this morning at the PSG Campus in Poissy for final preparations. The coaching staff spent the night there to fine-tune the last details of their UCL opener. The season hasn't started convincingly for Les Parisiens, but a win tonight would give Luis Enrique some breathing space.

The visitors arrive in Paris burdened by their own poor start to the Bundesliga campaign. The yellow-blacks' head coach Edin Terzic said his team is ready to let PSG have the ball, but not the win.

"PSG plays very dominant football and like to keep the ball. But no matter how much possession you have, in the end it's crucial that you do the right thing with it. We have to keep them far away from our goal and stay on our toes. This keeps the energy and balance in the team high so that we have the strength over 90 minutes to become dangerous."

The only previous UEFA Champions League meetings between Paris and Borussia Dortmund came in the 2019/20 round of 16 – PSG lost 2-1 away in the first leg, but won 2-0 at home, eventually reaching the final that season. It was a strange time as the games were played behind closed doors due to the Covid restrictions. Parc des Princes' stands were empty, but PSG die-hards gathered in their thousands outside the stadium to sing, chant and celebrate the big win - determined to defy the virus and the government. That year, they reached the final, only to lose to Bayern. It turned out to be the closest they ever came to lifting the elusive trophy.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 1

Tuesday

19.45: (2.55) Milan (3.50) Newcastle (2.85)

19.45: (5.20) Young Boys (4.00) RB Leipzig (1.65)

22.00: (1.63) Feyenoord (4.00) Celtic (6.25)

22.00: (3.05) Lazio (3.35) Atl.Madrid (2.50)

22.00: (1.75) PSG (3.60) Dortmund (4.90)

22.00: (1.10) Man.City (13.0) Crvena Zvezda (35.0)

22.00: (1.20) Barcelona (7.75) Antwerp (16.0)

22.00: (4.70) Shakhtar (3.70) Porto (1.85)

Wednesday

19.45: (1.63) Galatasaray (4.00) Copenhagen (6.25)

19.45: (1.40) Real Madrid (5.00) Union Berlin (9.00)

22.00: (1.58) Bayern (4.30) Man.Utd. (6.25)

22.00: (1.40) Arsenal (5.30) PSV (8.00)

22.00: (1.95) Sevilla (3.60) Lens (4.20)

22.00: (4.50) Braga (3.60) Napoli (1.90)

22.00: (1.45) Benfica (4.80) Salzburg (8.00)

22.00: (3.20) Sociedad (3.40) Inter (2.40)

***odds are subject to change