Paris Saint-Germain begin their Champions League defense on home soil in Gameweek 1 of the league phase, as they welcome Atalanta to the Parc des Princes.

This is just the second time these two clubs are facing off, with Atalanta’s relevancy burst under Gian Piero Gasperini thrusting them to Europe’s top table. La Dea came within minutes of stunning Thomas Tuchel’s PSG during their only meeting back in the 2019–20 single-leg quarterfinals.

Gasperini has since departed Bergamo after nine years in charge, joining Roma, and was replaced by a disciple in Ivan Jurić, who has struggled for success since working wonders with Hellas Verona between 2019 and 2021.

They’ve started the new season with two draws and a victory, but Wednesday’s clash will be their toughest test yet by a comfortable margin.

PSG’s Club World Cup ventures mean they’ve eased themselves into 2025–26, winning the Super Cup off the back of a very limited preseason, but Luis Enrique’s have shown signs of quickly re-establishing their majestic groove in recent outings. They’ve so far claimed maximum points in Ligue 1 after four games.

Here is Sports Illustrated’s guide to the game.

What Time Does PSG vs. Atalanta Kick-Off?

  • Location: Paris, France
  • Stadium: Parc des Princes
  • Date: Wednesday, 17 September
  • Kick-off Time: 3 p.m. ET / noon PT / 8 p.m. BST
  • Referee: Sandro Schärer (SUI)
  • VAR: Bastian Dankert (GER)

PSG vs. Atalanta Head-to-Head Record (All Games)

  • PSG: 1 win
  • Atalanta: 0 wins
  • Draws: 0
  • Last meeting: Atalanta 1–2 PSG (August 8, 2020) - Champions League

Current Form (All Competitions)

How to Watch PSG vs. Atalanta on TV, Live Stream

PSG Team News

PSG’s injury woes aren’t as bad as initially feared, as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Lucas Beraldo and Kang-in Lee picked up knocks at the weekend.

However, the club have played down Kvaratskhelia and Lee’s setbacks, with the pair not even mentioned on their injury report ahead of Wednesday’s game. Beraldo, however, has sprained his ankle.

The defending champions have already lost Désiré Doué to a calf injury, while Ballon d’Or favourite Ousmané Dembélé is out with a hamstring issue. Both should return by the end of October.

Bradley Barcola was superb in the win over Lens and will remain in PSG’s frontline, and Enrique will likely deploy the strongest midfield and defence available to him.

PSG Predicted Lineup vs. Atalanta

PSG predicted lineup
How Luis Enrique could line up the champions. | FotMob

PSG predicted lineup vs. Atalanta (4-3-3): Chevalier; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes; Vitinha, Fabián, Neves; Barcola, Ramos, Kvaratskhelia.

Atalanta Team News

While Ademola Lookman has been included in Atalanta’s Champions League squad, he’s yet to feature for La Dea this season, having tried to leave the club in the summer. The Nigerian forward hasn’t travelled to Paris.

The visitors are also without box-to-box midfielder Éderson and striker Gianluca Scamacca due to injuries, while Mitchell Bakker and Sead Kolašinac are long-term absentees.

Charles De Ketelaere and Nicola Zalewski were Atalanta’s standouts during their first Serie A victory of the season over Lecce.

Atalanta Predicted Lineup vs. PSG

Atalanta predicted lineup
How Atalanta could line up against PSG. | FotMob

Atalanta predicted lineup vs. PSG (3-4-2-1): Carnesecchi; Kossounou, Hien, Scalvini; Bellanova, De Roon, Pašalić, Zalewski; De Ketelaere, Sulemana; Krstović.

PSG vs. Atalanta Score Prediction

While Jurić failed miserably at Southampton, his appointment did somewhat make sense in ensuring Atalanta didn’t completely veer away from the ideals imposed by Gasperini. Continuity means La Dea shouldn’t fall off the face of the earth this season, and they remain a tricky tactical proposition for opponents.

PSG have waltzed their way through the start of the new Ligue 1 season, but Wednesday’s bout could be a bit of a slap in the face. Atalanta will play with an intensity that the hosts haven’t quite gotten used to early on, and there’s scope for the visitors to catch Enrique‘s side cold.

However, even without Dembélé and Doué, there are simply too many problem-solvers within PSG’s ranks for them not to prevail at the start of their title defense.

Prediction: PSG 2–1 Atalanta

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as PSG vs. Atalanta: Preview, Predictions and Lineups.

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