PSG vs Girona Prediction: Les Parisiens to rise to the occasion

Paris Saint-Germain and Girona do battle inside Parc des Princes on Wednesday (20:00, TNT Sports 4) in their Uefa Champions League opener. Les Parisiens have a 100 per cent record in Ligue 1 after four matches, while Girona have taken seven points from their opening five clashes in La Liga.

This is a big occasion for the Spanish side as they taste what it’s like to play in the most eccentric club competition in the world, but it looks to be a tough test for them. Read on for my PSG vs Girona prediction, accompanied by match odds and team news.

PSG vs Girona Odds

PSG are valued at 2/5 to win this match, which gives them an implied probability of 71.4%. Girona are 13/2 to win on their Champions League debut, giving them a 13.3% chance. The draw can be backed at 4/1 (20%).

Both teams to score is marketed at 4/6 and over 2.5 goals can be found at 4/9.

PSG’s Bradley Barcola has four goals in as many games in Ligue 1 this term and he is 7/5 to score anytime on Wednesday, or 5/1 to open the scoring. His team-mate Ousmane Dembele has found the back of the net on three occasions, with two coming at the weekend against Brest. The French winger is 13/8 to score anytime here.

Football Odds

Team News 

Les Parisiens are missing three players for this European opener in Presnel Kimpembe, Lucas Hernandez and Goncalo Ramos due to injury. Vitinha and Warren Zaire-Emery are doubts to feature but they will be assessed ahead of kick-off. This could see the midfield trio of Fabian Ruiz, Lee Kang-in and Joao Neves all keep their places from the weekend.

Defenders Marquinhos and William Pacho will be hoping for recalls ahead of Milan Skriniar and Lucas Beraldo. Barcola and Dembele look to have cemented their places on the wings but Luis Enrique has a decision to make through the middle between Marco Asensio and Randal Kolo Muani.

For Girona, Jastin and Ricard Artero remain sidelined through injury. Yangel Herrera missed the Barcelona match with an abductor issue and is therefore deemed a doubt to feature on Wednesday night.

Former Southampton man Oriol Romeu was unable to face Barca as per his loan agreement so he will be feeling fresh ahead of this clash and he could make up a midfield featuring another ex-Premier League man in Donny van de Beek.

Abel Ruiz looks set to continue up front ahead of Bojan Miovski, a summer arrival from Aberdeen. There is a huge competition for places on the wings with the likes of Arnaut Danjuma, Bryan Gil and Portu all hoping to start in Paris.

PSG to win both halves @ 2/1

PSG have looked very good so far in Ligue 1 and their winning start shows that. The Champions League has always been their ambition but it has continuously eluded them, even when they’ve had superstars such as Neymar Jr., Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi.

Those players have moved on but the ambition remains, so Les Parisiens will be looking for a strong start in this European opener on home soil. They have been utterly brilliant in attack so far this term with 16 goals in four matches, averaging four per game.

This will have given their confidence a huge boost ahead of this meeting with Girona, and I think their attacking quality can shine through. Girona’s rise has been incredible to see but they are about to experience a huge step up in quality in the Champions League, and given their inconsistent start to La Liga, it is hard to predict what you’re going to get from them at Parc des Princes.

Seeing as they are free-scoring at the moment, I think it’s only right to back PSG to win both halves because not only are they at home, but the 2/1 price feels far too generous.

Bradley Barcola anytime goalscorer @ 7/5

The 22-year-old winger has enjoyed an excellent start to the season in France, and he will want to translate that form onto the European stage. His confidence will be high after scoring four goals already, and he will be relishing the opportunity to get up and running in the Champions League.

Barcola will be hungry to surpass last season’s performance in the competition on a personal note, having registered a goal and an assist in 10 outings. PSG made it to the semi-finals last term and they will be hoping that they can at least reach that stage again this time around.

The new league phase format gives Barcola an extra two matches to flaunt his abilities and I think he is looking a much more mature player as a result of the valuable experience he picked up in 2023/24. With the amount of chances PSG are creating at the moment, I think he will get a few opportunities to score, and I am backing him to convert at least one of them.

Offers

Acca Flex: Place a pre-match 5+ leg Football accumulator and get a CASH bonus up to 100% if all of your selections win or your money back as CASH if one leg lets you down.

Place an In-Play single bet of £10 or more at odds of 1/2+ on any Champions League game on Tuesday or Wednesday and get £5 in Free Bets to use In-Play on Thursday’s Champions League games.

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