The Ligue 1 champions are heading into the match on the back of a 3-0 win over Urawa Reds last Friday, while Gamba Osaka suffered a 2-1 defeat to Cerezo Osaka in their recent outing.
Paris Saint-Germain wil take on Gamba Osaka in a pre-season friendly at the Suita City Stadium on Monday. The Ligue 1 champions are heading into the match on the back of a 3-0 win over Urawa Reds last Friday, while Gamba Osaka suffered a 2-1 defeat to Cerezo Osaka in their recent outing. The Japanese club are in the midst of their J-League season, sitting at the 16th position in the 18-team table. PSG, on the other hand, won the Ligue 1 title last term, collecting 86 points from 38 games. The league title, however, was unable to save Mauricio Pochettino’s position. The Argentine tactician was replaced in the summer by Christophe Galtier, who memorably won the Ligue 1 title with Lille in the 2020-21 season.
📸🔴🔵#PSGJapanTour2022 pic.twitter.com/m8GviyK9Zu
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) July 24, 2022
This will be the third game for the Parisians in their tour of the Asian nation. Galtier’s side kicked-off their pre-season with a 2-0 win over Quevilly-Rouen on July 15 before getting the better of Kawasaki 2-1 four days later. And then, they thrashed Urawa Reds on July 23. After the game against Gamba Osaka, PSG will take on Nantes in the Trophee de Champions final on July 31 before beginning their new Ligue 1 season against Clermont Foot. Vitinha and Hugo Ekitike are the two notable summer signings for PSG.
Gamba Osaka, on the other hand, suffered their 11th defeat of the season last weekend and are taking a break from their J-League campaign to take on one of the world’s most reputable clubs. Last Saturday, Kwon Kyung-won gave an early lead to Gamba Osaka, but second half goals from Hiromoto Yamada and Jean Patric helped the visitors take all three points.
Last game’s goal-scorers Kylian Mbappe, Pablo Saradia and Arnaud Kalimuendo are likely to feature for PSG on Monday. Meanwhile the core of the team, Lionel Messi, Neymar and Sergio Ramos are expected to return to the starting eleven. .Marquinhos and Kimpembe could join Ramos in the three-man defence. As for Gamba Osaka, Kwon is doubtful because of an injury he sustained in their previous outing. Katanosaka is unlikely to make too many changes to the side that started in their recent outing.
PSG probable starting lineup: Rico; Marquinhos, Ramos, Kimpembe; Hakimi, Gueye, Vitinha, Mendes; Messi, Kalimuendo, Neymar.
Gamba Osaka probable starting lineup: Higashiguchi; Takao, Fukuoka, Miura; Onose, Dawhan, Saito, Krokawa; Nakamura, Ishige; Sukuki
The pre-season friendly match between PSG and Gamba Osaka will take place at Suita City Stadium on Monday at 3:30 pm IST.
| PSG vs Gamba Osaka | Key details |
| Date | July 24 |
| Venue | Suita City Stadium |
| Kickoff time in Japan | 7:00 pm (Monday) |
| Kickoff time in France | 12:00 pm (Monday) |
Football fans in the USA can catch the live action on CBS Sports Network. Meanwhile for those in France, live coverage of the match will be provided by beIN Sports 2. Besides, fans can also catch the live coverage via PSG TV.
