Paris Saint-Germain finish their pre-season schedule with a match against Gamba Osaka in Japan on Monday with kickoff at 1 pm.
Christophe Galtier has had to cram a lot of work into just a few weeks. Transfer business continues to be conducted in the background with Vitinha and Hugo Ekitike both notable additions to a squad already full of quality.
However, Galtier will take greater satisfaction from his side making relatively easy work of Quevilly-Rouen, Kawasaki Frontale and Urawa Red Diamonds during their friendly fixtures.
Their most recent outing on Saturday ended in a 3-0 scoreline with Pablo Sarabia, Kylian Mbappe and Arnaud Kalimuendo all getting on the scoresheet. Playing just four games ahead of the new season is a fairly light schedule, but PSG also go up against Nantes in the Trophee des Champions next Sunday.
Gamba Osaka will face European giants Real Madrid in a friendly later this month. As Tomohiro Katanosaka sees it, the game could be a welcome break for his struggling side.
Gamba have lost four successive J-League games and sit 16th in the table with 22 points from 21 matches. Their only goal in nine consecutive halves of football came from Kwon Kyung-Won in the 2-1 loss to Cerezo Osaka.
Gamba Osaka vs PSG Head to Head
Both sides are yet to face against each other and this marks their first encounter. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Gamba Osaka 1-2 Cerezo Osaka
- Kashima Antlers 2-0 Gamba Osaka
- Kawasaki 4-0 Gamba Osaka
- Shonan 1-0 Gamba Osaka
Away
- Urawa 0-3 PSG
- Kawasaki 1-2 PSG
- PSG 2-0 Metropole
- PSG 5-0 Metz
Gamba Osaka Team News
Having not played since July 16, Katanosaka could be willing to field an unchanged starting eleven. With Kwon sustaining injury during their last match, Ryu Takao is an option at right-back for Gamba Osaka.
PSG Team News
Assuming that Galtier makes no substitutions at half time, it’s realistic to expect that the entire PSG starting lineup will be made up of different players. That would see the likes of Sergio Ramos, Vitinha, Lionel Messi, and Neymar all handed recalls to the side.
Prediction and Odds
With a number of changes expected from Galtier, our prediction is for an evenly matched game between two great teams.
- PSG Win
- Goals Over 2.5
- Messi to Score
