PSG vs Kawasaki: Match Preview and Build-Up
PSG vs Kawasaki: The first match of Paris Saint-Germain’s pre-season tour of Japan will take place on Wednesday evening at the Japan National Stadium against Kawasaki Frontale, who are the defending champions of the J1 League.
After defeating Quevilly-Rouen in a training field friend earlier this summer, Les Parisiens will now face three games against local opponents within the span of a week.
Mauricio Pochettino was the latest name to find out the hard way that winning the Ligue 1 title does not cut it at the Parc des Princes anymore. PSG’s trigger-happy board relieved the Argentine of his duties after just 18 months in charge of the club.
Pochettino left after leading PSG back to the top of French football. But his team was unable to win the Coupe de France and does not need to be reminded of their disastrous elimination from the Champions League at the hands of Real Madrid in the round of 16.
After leaving Nice, Christophe Galtier has been hired to usher in a new era at the Parc des Princes. During his time with Nice, Galtier took Les Aiglons from a mid-table position of discontent to a challenger for a spot in the Champions League. However, in the end, Galtier’s team had to settle for fifth place. Galtier beat Paris Saint-Germain to the Ligue 1 title with Lille in the 2020-21 season.
PSG manager Galtier and new football advisor Luis Campos have focused their transfer business so far on up-and-coming players. Thus, bringing in Vitinha and Hugo Ekitike, but a couple of established names like Milan Skriniar and Renato Sanches could soon follow. Rather than spending a significant amount of money on ready-made superstars, PSG manager Galtier and new football advisor Luis Campos have prioritized up-and-coming players.
As was noted, PSG has already defeated Quevilly-Rouen this summer, winning 2-0 courtesy of a penalty kick from Sergio Ramos and a goal scored by Djeidi Gassama in the second half. Their defense of the Ligue 1 championship will begin with a trip to Clermont Foot on August 6.
In the meantime, Kawasaki Frontale was once again the dominating force in Japan’s top division last season. They will be thrilled to get the chance to test their mettle against a fellow national champion, even if the gap in quality becomes apparent on the field.
The Blue-black finished the 2021 season with an incredible 92 points to win their second consecutive J1 League championship and fourth since 2017. They were ahead of the second-placed Yokohama F. Marinos by a margin of 13 points, although they are already playing catch-up this season.
Toru Oniki has led Kawasaki Frontale to victory in every season of the J1 League since 2017. But his team currently sits in third place in the 2022 rankings, behind Kashima Antlers and Yokohama F. Marinos. The Yokohama F. Marinos are eight points ahead of the champions and have played two more games than Kawasaki Frontale.
The Blue-black ended a three-game winless run in all tournaments with a 4-0 thumping of Gamba Osaka on July 9, and has had 11 days to recover from those exertions, Oniki’s men ought to be in peak condition for a memorable battle with PSG. Oniki’s men will face PSG in a match that will be remembered for a long time.
PSG vs Kawasaki: Team News and Probable Playing XI
After Galtier announced his 25-man strong team for the trip to Japan, the fates of numerous PSG players seem to have become clearer. Georginio Wijnaldum led a list of prominent absentees from the squad and was the most notable player not selected.
While Sergio Rico, Mauro Icardi, Idrissa Gueye, and Eric Junior Dina Ebimbe are all in the group, Layvin Kurzawa, Ander Herrera, and Julian Draxler have all been sent back home. Despite the rumoUrs that surrounded a probable transfer to Chelsea, Presnel Kimpembe has also made the trip.
Even though Galtier will almost certainly make a large number of substitutions while the game is in progress, the spectators at the Japan National Stadium have a good chance of witnessing Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe all participate in the match from the very beginning.
Galtier has confirmed that a back three is an option for his team, which would result in Kimpembe, Ramos, and Marquinhos starting together in a strong defense.
PSG Probable Playing XI: Donnarumma; Marquinhos, Kimpembe, Ramos; Hakimi, Paredes, Vitinha, Mendes; Messi, Mbappe, Neymar
After leaving Sunday’s match against Gamba Osaka with an injury of unknown nature, playmaker Yasuto Wakizaka, who leads Kawasaki Frontale in assists this season with five, is now considered questionable to play on Wednesday.
Brazilian centre-back Ryota Oshima, who only just made his return after incurring ankle ligament damage in March, was also away from their most recent game. Jesiel is also on the hard road back to recovery from a cruciate ligament injury, and he was also out from their most recent match.
Supporting the striker for the Japanese champions will be former Brazil international Leandro Damiao, who has scored five goals, along with wingers Marcinho, who has scored five goals, and Akihiro Ienaga, who is still going strong at the age of 36.
Kawasaki Probable Playing XI: Jung; Yamane, Taniguchi, Kurumaya, Sasaki; Songkrasin, Tachibanada, Tsukagawa; Ienaga, Damiao, Marcinho
Match Details:
Date: July 20, 2022
Time: 4:00 PM IST
Venue: Japan National Stadium
PSG vs Kawasaki: Where to watch?
Fans can watch the game on PSG TV Premium and the official Paris Saint-Germain Twitch channel.
Match Predictions:
The players for Kawasaki Frontale could be forgiven for feeling starstruck in the company of PSG’s star names. However, the Blue-black will focus on the task at hand like professionals and will aim to translate their dominance in the domestic scene into a famous result against opposition from other continents.
PSG is still getting accustomed to Galtier’s techniques. But the Parisiens should still prove to be much too powerful as they start off their tour of Japan with a resounding victory. Oniki’s side picked the greatest moment to come back to winning ways, as PSG is still getting adjusted to Galtier’s methods.
Expect a scoreline of PSG 6-1 Kawasaki
