With just one week remaining until their monumental season-ending fixture, Paris Saint-Germain orchestrated a crucial full-scale rehearsal this Saturday at Poissy. To optimally prepare for the Champions League final on May 30th in Budapest against Arsenal, coach Luis Enrique organized an internal friendly match on the pitch of the Campus PSG. This allowed his squad to maintain peak rhythm through an intense intra-squad opposition. Two teams of eleven players fiercely competed for over an hour in this high-octane encounter.

The two competitive sides were structured as follows:

Black Team: Marin – Fanne Drame, Zabarnyi, Hernandez, Mendes – Mayulu, Neves, Beraldo – Doué, Ramos, Barcola.

White Team: Safonov – Zaïre-Emery, Pacho, Marquinhos, Cordier – Dro, Vitinha, Ruiz – Mbaye, Lee, Kvaratskhelia.

Only two prominent players were absent from the scrimmage: Ousmane Dembélé and Achraf Hakimi. While they did not participate in the full-team opposition, both the French forward and the Moroccan defender engaged in individual training sessions. Their situations are not causing any internal concern; the coaching staff simply opted for a cautious approach, and both players are fully expected to feature in the Champions League final in Budapest against the Gunners next week. Notably, Nuno Mendes and Willian Pacho, who missed the last Ligue 1 match against Paris FC, were both actively involved in the internal game.

For this special occasion, Luis Enrique extended invitations to several promising young talents, including Abdou Fanne Drame, Rayan Abo El Nay, Thomas Cordier, and Yanis Khafi. During the match, Vitinha, Ibrahim Mbaye, and Gonçalo Ramos were among those who successfully found the back of the net.

Training resumes tuesday

This spirited internal clash unfolded before a crowd of 1000 ultras, specially invited by the club as a gesture of gratitude for their unwavering support throughout the season. Their presence helped to recreate an authentic stadium atmosphere and simulate real match conditions. Members of the Collectif Ultras Paris seized the opportunity to display banners conveying messages of encouragement, notably one proclaiming, “Once it’s historic, twice it’s legendary.” Additionally, over 150 children from PSG for Communities were in attendance, personally invited by President Nasser Al-Khelaïfi.

Following the conclusion of the match, Marquinhos and his teammates personally presented their jerseys and signed footballs to the appreciative supporters. The squad will now observe a period of rest on Sunday and Monday before returning to training this Tuesday, marking their entry into the final critical phase of preparations.