Paris Saint-Germain begin their post-Zlatan Ibrahimovic era with a preseason game against the English Premier League side West Bromwich Albion in Schladming, Austria on Wednesday. With a new manager in Unai Emery at the helm , PSG, who are shoo-ins again for the Ligue 1 title, will hope to make more headway in the Champions League this season.
Having already brought in his former Sevilla player Grzegorz Krychowiak and one of the best players in French football last year – Hatem Ben Arfa -- Emery will be keen to put his stamp on this PSG team right from the first match. After a five-day training camp in Austria, the PSG players, not involved in Euro 2016, will be ready to show why they need to be in Emery's plans for the new season.
The likes of Marquinhos and Lucas Moura, after their Copa America Centenario exertions, have also joined the PSG squad, and the Parisians will be expected to put on a show in front of the Austrian fans against Tony Pulis' team.
"I'm very happy to be here," Brazil international Lucas Moura said after joining up with his teammates in Austria. "We're working very hard, but it's all going well. Everyone is happy. I think we will be in very good shape for the start of the season.
"We're working a lot on how the team positions itself. We're working tactically and physically. It's important stuff and it's going well. It's always important to work on the team's tactical system. I think we will start the season well and be even more organised on the pitch."
Looking to spoil Emery's part will be West Brom, even if the manager Pulis knows this game is all about gaining match fitness rather than worrying about the result.
"Results during preseason mean very little to me," Pulis told the club's official website. "I'm more concerned with getting everyone through the games without picking up any injuries. Then when we get to the first game of the season everyone should be available for selection and in good shape.
"We obviously need friendlies for match fitness but I'll be far from worrying about the results. The most important thing is that they keep driving forward and it's not about the results, it's about the fitness and the strength of the players and the shape of the team.
"I've been coming out to Austria for a long time and the teams I've been with have played a lot of games against big teams like Roma and Real Madrid. We've played big clubs out here and there's normally a decent amount of supporters and they're normally good games."
Where to Watch Live
PSG vs West Bromwich Albion is sheduled for a 6 p.m. local time (9.30 p.m. IST, 5 p.m. BST) start. Live coverage of the match is not available in India.
Viewers in France, US, Canada and Australia can watch the preseason friendly live on Bein Sports, with the online live streaming option on Bein Sports Connect. Audience in the US can also catch the match live on Fubo TV.
Premier Sports will boradcast the match live in the UK, with the live streaming option on Premier Player.
