Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Trophee des Champions showdown between Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco at the Shenzhen Stadium in China. Reigning Ligue 1 champions PSG are attempting to win this curtain-raising fixture for the sixth time in a row, while their opponents - four-time winners themselves - are seeking a first success since 2000.

Monaco are yet again going through a period of transition after racking in a huge amount of money from sales during the off-season, and if the bookies' odds are anything to go by then simply finishing in the top three will be a challenge for Leonardo Jardim's men. PSG, on the other hand, have consolidated by keeping one of the World Cup's star performers in Kylian Mbappe at the club, while also bringing in Gianluigi Buffon.

Team news from the Shenzhen Stadium has yet to filter through, so let's instead focus on PSG's pre-season campaign to date. The French champions are now under the management of Thomas Tuchel, who was brought in as a replacement for Unai Emery earlier this summer. Emery won a domestic treble last time out, yet a failure to get past the first knockout round of the Champions League essentially cost him his job.

In fairness to Emery, not many teams have got the better of Real Madrid in the past few seasons, so his dismissal - he jumped before being shoved, officially - can certainly be considered a little harsh. Anyway, Emery has landed another top job by agreeing to manage Arsenal from this season, and it is now all eyes on Tuchel in the French capital as he embarks on his first managerial campaign outside of his homeland.

Emery struggled to win his power struggle with Neymar during the Brazilian's maiden campaign at the Parc des Princes, and Tuchel therefore has to lay down a marker from the off. Managing PSG, contrary to the belief of many, is far from an easy job. Winning the domestic treble this term is expected as far as Tuchel is concerned; anything less and his first season at the club will be considered a failure by some. Instead, he simply has to make an impact on the European stage.

Emery arrived at the Parc des Princes with a pretty impressive pedigree, having won three successive Europa Leagues with Sevilla. Tuchel, by comparison, has just one German Cup success to his name from two years at Borussia Dortmund. It must be remembered, too, that the German boss was dismissed by BVB after a breakdown in relationship with those higher up. Still, he was seemingly a man in demand and PSG feel that they have the right man for the job.

Tuchel's only other experience in management came with Mainz 05 and Augsburg's second-string side, so taking on the Dortmund job was a big step up in terms of expectations - although that was nothing compared to what he can expect in the French capital! In terms of his transfer activity, Tuchel would have been pleased to see Mbappe's big-money move from Monaco officially go through, while free agent Buffon was also a huge coup for the club despite his age.

Javier Pastore, Yuri Berchiche, Odsonne Edouard, Jonathan Ikone and Grzegorz Krychowiak have all been shipped out, while Ben Arfa is now off their books and Thiago Motta has retired from playing. PSG do not look a whole lot different from last season, then, although they are arguably a little stronger thanks to the arrival of Buffon between the sticks. Having won 29 and drawn six of their Ligue 1 outings last term, they will once again take some beating.

PSG did, of course, also claim both domestic cups to keep their silverware tally ticking over - only four other sides, including opponents Monaco, have now won more than the Parisians' seven league crowns. This coming season is all about prolonging their domestic dominance by making it six league titles in seven years, but there is a particular emphasis on making it to the latter stages of the Champions League.

Tuchel's charges have endured a tough pre-season thus far, not helped by the number of first teamers on World Cup duty. They have lost two of their five games and narrowly beaten Atletico Madrid last time out. After going down 3-1 to Bayern Munich and 5-1 to Arsenal with skeleton squads, PSG looked far stronger against Atleti - in the first half, at least - and claimed a dramatic 3-2 victory in Singapore.

Goals from Nkunku and Diaby were cancelled out by a Mollejo strike and Bernede own goal, before Postolachi converted in the second minute of added time to seal a late win in that Atletico friendly. Kevin Trapp was the only player to play a full 90 minutes in that last outing, and with their Ligue 1 opener against Caen now just a week away, Tuchel will be keen to get more of his regulars on the field today.

© Reuters

PSG follow up their Ligue 1 opener against Caen with a trip to Guingamp and then games against Angers and Nimes - a gentle start for Tuchel, whose side do not face Monaco until mid-November and then for a second time at the end of April, six games before the season concludes. The biggest concern for the German is that his side will take some time to settle, although there is a chance we could see Marquinhos, Thiago Silva and Neymar today.

PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN TEAM NEWS!

STARTING XI: Buffon; Nsoki, Rimane, Silva, Dagba; Rabiot, Verratti, Diarra; Nkunku, Weah, Di Maria

SUBS: Trapp, Kurzawa, Marquinhos, Bernede, Lo Celso, Diaby, Neymar

A little later than expected, both teams have just published their team sheets. The big news for PSG is that Neymar does not start in Shenzhen; the Brazilian forward is instead named among the subs, and will almost certainly play a part from the bench. Thiago Silva and Marquinhos also linked up with the squad earlier this week following their World Cup exploits with Brazil, and the former slots straight into the backline.

This could either be a 4-3-3 formation fielded by Tuchel, with N'Soki and Dagba operating as full-backs, or possibly a 3-4-3 of sorts. I'll stick my neck on the line and say it's the latter, which would mean a back three of Rimane, Silva and Diarra; a midfield of N'Soki, Rabiot, Verratti and Dagba; and a forward line consisting of Di Maria, Weah and Nkunku. Not quite full strength, but PSG's star men are slowly being worked back to fitness.

Edinson Cavani is another to have linked up with the squad in the Far East, but he is still carrying a back injury sustained during Uruguay's World Cup campaign. Alphonse Areola, Presnel Kimpembe and Kylian Mbappe have also been notable absentees. The other big selection call comes in goal, where that man Buffon takes over from Kevin Trapp and will likely get the full 90 minutes.

MONACO TEAM NEWS!

STARTING XI: Benaglio; Raggi, Glik, Jemerson, Serrano; Aholou, Pele; Grandsir, Tielemans, Lopes; Jovetic

SUBS: Sy, Pierre-Gabriel, N'Doram, Barreca, Diop, Mboula, Balde

Switching attention to the side named by Leonardo Jardim, Ligue 1's second-best side from last season are also without a quartet of their World Cup stars. Radamel Falcao, Danijel Subasic, Djibril Sidibe and Aleksandr Golovin will all be eased back to fitness after playing a part in Russia for their respective countries, and in the case of the latter he will have to quickly adapt to life at a new club.

Kamil Glik, Youri Tielemans and Keita Balde have all returned to training with Monaco, meanwhile - Glik and Tielemans start today; Balde is on the bench. One man to keep an eye on this afternoon is defensive midfielder Pele, who has been a big impression since joining from Rio Ave earlier in the transfer window. Sofiane Diop has been looking to hold down a place in attacking midfield, but he drops to the bench for this one.

Monaco have finished in the top three in each of their five seasons since returning to Ligue 1 in 2013, which they will be confident of sustaining for at least another year. The Red and Whites could not quite match their title success of 2016-17 last time out, as they finished as runners-up to PSG - a 13-point gap separating the pair. One win in five matches towards the end of the campaign, including a heavy defeat to their rivals, put paid to their hopes of more silverware.

Jardim's men did finish the season with three successive wins, though, and they should put up another strong fight in the Ligue 1 title race, along with much-fancied Lyon and Marseille. PSG are the favourites to come out on top, as ever, but the race for a top-three finish will certainly be exciting. It is hard not to feel sorry for the Red and Whites, though, having again lost a number of their prized assets.

Mbappe has officially joined PSG in a mega-money deal, a year after joining on an initial loan move, while Thomas Lemar, Fabinho, Terrence Kongolo, Adama Diakhaby, Soualiho Meite and Joao Moutinho's sales have also helped to bring in further funds. The transfer market specialists have in turn brought in Aleksandr Golovin - a big coup as he was also a confirmed target for Chelsea - Willem Geubbels, Pele, Jean-Eudes Aholou, Antonio Barreca, Ronael Pierre-Gabriel, Jonathan Panzo and Samuel Grandsir.

© Reuters

It is another rebuilding job for Jardim, who is now into his fifth season at the Stade Louis II. The Ligue 1 runners-up have played six friendlies during the off-season, losing half of those and recently drawing 2-2 with German side Bochum. This is when things start to get a little more serious, with this French Super Cup showdown quickly followed by league games against Nantes, Lille, Bordeaux and Marseille.

That is a tough start to the season for the Red and Whites, who face three of the clubs tipped to challenge for a Champions League spot in their first four outings. Their pre-season form has not been all that impressive, and the likes of Falcao, Subasic, Sidibe and Golovin will each taken some time to get going, so it could be a test of character for Jardim & Co. over the coming weeks.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS! Monaco have lost their last six games against Paris Saint-Germain, conceding 23 goals in the process. The most recent of those encounters can four months ago, as PSG ran out emphatic 7-1 winners at the Parc des Princes - Di Maria and Lo Celso helping themselves to a couple of goals apiece as the Parisians retained their title.

Monaco have not exactly performed all that well in this fixture in recent times, then, and that humiliating loss at the Parc des Princes is still fresh in the memory. A scoreline of that calibre is not expected this afternoon, but the Red and Whites do have to be considered the underdogs, even accounting for the absence of Cavani, Neymar and Mbappe in the opposition forward line.

DID YOU KNOW? This is the 10th successive season that the Trophee des Champions has been played outside of France, stretching back to the 2009 showpiece in Montreal. Paris Saint-Germain are aiming to equal a French record of six wins in a row, matching the success of Lyon between 2002 and 2007, whereas opponents Monaco have not lifted the trophy since 2000.

The stands are starting to fill up inside the impressive Shenzhen Stadium, which will also host this fixture next year. AS touched upon a couple of minutes ago, this fixture has been played all around the globe over the past decade, having also been held in Canada and Africa, among other places. As far as French football chiefs go, they could not have picked two better teams to show off the league, but it is a shame that so many star men will not play a part.

PREDICTION! Much like the Spanish, English, Italian and German equivalents, not an awful lot can be read into Super Cup results. It is still essentially a pre-season friendly, although that said when it comes to a club of PSG's calibre defeat in any sort of cup could spell disaster. The Parisians have won the competition five years running and, even without Mbappe, Neymar and Cavani from the off, I fancy them to make it six in a row. 2-0.

Both sets of players have made their way down the tunnel, with kickoff in China now just a couple of minutes away. There are plenty of spectators packed into the ground, the majority of whom will be neutrals, so fingers crossed for an entertaining curtain-raiser a week before the Ligue 1 campaign gets up and running. Can Monaco pull off an upset? We are about to find out...

KICKOFF:  Paris Saint-Germain, who have won the quadruple in three of the last four seasons when taking the French Super Cup into account, get us under way at the Shenzhen Stadium. Right from the off, Glik has to get across to prevent Weah from racing in behind.

© Reuters

Now that the game has settled into a rhythm I can confirm that PSG have gone with four at the back, and not three as I predicted in the build-up. Rimane will slot in alongside returning skipper Silva; Nsoki and Dagba are at full-back.

The first flashpoint of the match, just five minutes in, as Jemerson had a couple of kicks at Di Maria. The PSG forward squared up to his opponent, but the referee was happy to let both players go their own way, rather than reaching into his pocket.

YELLOW CARD!  The referee was a little lenient when deciding not to book Jemerson and Di Maria a couple of minutes ago. Not so on this occasion, as Jean-Eudes Aholou has just been cautioned for a trip on Marco Verratti in the middle of the park.

SHOT!  A first sight of goal for PSG, as Adrien Rabiot slotted the ball through for Angel di Maria, who could not keep his shot on target from inside the box. The forward should have been testing Diego Benaglio at the very least from that range.

It has been a feisty start to the game to say the least. Jardim is calling for a yellow card to be shown to Rabiot following the midfielder's late challenge on an opponent. Di Maria looks to call to ball into the far corner but saw his shot blocked.

Prior to that Di Maria shot, Aholou tripped Nkunku but referee waved play on. Had he stopped play, the Monaco man surely would have been shown a second yellow card. A big moment in this match, and one that Tuchel will no doubt point out if his side go on to lose.

CLOSE!  So, so close to an opening goal! Julien Serrano was picked out on the overlap down the left and found Yuri Tielemans in the middle of the PSG box. The midfielder's first-time shot was goalbound, but a deflection off Thiago Silva took it inches wide of the post.

SAVE!  Having nearly fallen behind a couple of minutes ago, it's PSG's turn to come close to an opener. Angel di Maria turned inside the box and got away a shot on target, which Diego Benaglio did well to read and pounce on at his near post.

An entertaining start to this Trophee des Champions clash, then, which many predicted pre-match. Still no goals, but both teams have come close to an opener. Monaco have looked particularly dangerous down their left in the opening quarter.

End-to-end stuff at the moment in Shenzhen! Monaco make good inroads down the left yet again, and when the ball was worked across it took another block from Silva to keep it away from the net. Up the other end, PSG's counter ended only with a corner being won.

Brilliant defending from Glik, putting his body on the line to cut out a cross that was destined for the back of the net. PSG almost had too many options during that attack, with young attacker Weah holding onto the ball for a little too long.

Another half-chance for Monaco, with the ball being blasted over the crossbar. The match is still pretty frenetic, with both teams desperate to find an opening goal. PSG have seen the vast majority of the ball - 71% of it, to be precise.

SHOT!  Great play from Colin Dagba, who got the beating of fellow youngster Julien Serrano down the PSG right and got a shot away, which was blocked behind before Benaglio could get to it. With that, the referee signals for a quick drinks break.

Jemerson was the man who positioned himself well to keep out that Dagba shot. Nearly a third of the match played in Shenzhen and we have yet to see either side make the breakthrough, but it has been an entertaining contest.

Nkunku is a lively player, with his pace is proving to be a problem for Monaco. The Red and Whites have managed to stand firm up until this point, however, and they have arguably had the better of things in the final third.

GOAL!  PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN 1-0 MONACO (ANGEL DI MARIA)

This is a sublime goal from Angel di Maria. In the absence of Neymar, Cavani and Mbappe, the main man in PSG's attack stood over the free kick from 25 yards and lifted the ball over the wall. It had enough dip on it to land under the crossbar and out of Benaglio's reach.

CHANCE!  That goal came from just the second on-target attempt of the afternoon - the other also coming via Di Maria, who tested Benaglio down low 17 minutes in. Monaco should be level, though, as Rony Lopes just failed to connect with the ball from a few yards out.

CHANCE!  Rony Lopes was under a bit of pressure from that previous chance, but he really should have been burying the ball. Up the other end, Stanley Nsoki has just headed wide from a glorious position when a corner was not dealt with.

Monaco have certainly had their chances in this first half, but so to have PSG and Tuchel will feel that his side are good value for their lead. Just five minutes to go until the referee signals the end of an entertaining opening 45 minutes.

GOAL!  PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN 2-0 MONACO (CHRISTOPHER NKUNKU)

A third goal in three games for Christopher Nkunku gives PSG some breathing space. Stanley Nsoki powered down the right and sent a delightful low cross into the middle, where Nkunku was waiting to prod home after getting in front of Julien Serrano.

Going into the interval two goals down is a little harsh on Monaco, and they will now have to pick themselves up for the second 45. PSG starting to go through the gears now, though - Nkunku heads over an empty net after Benaglio produced a good save, but the offside flag was up.

In keeping out that initial shot, Benaglio landed awkwardly in the back of the net. After some treatment on the field, the Monaco goalkeeper looks as though he will be OK to continue - at least for the next minute or so until half time.

HALF TIME:  PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN 2-0 MONACO

Paris Saint-Germain take a two-goal lead into half time of this lively Trophee des Champions clash. The opening 35 minutes or so were well balanced, but the Ligue 1 champions stepped things up and have left Monaco with an awful lot to do in the second half.

With Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe still not involved on the back of the World Cup, and Neymar only among the subs, a lot was resting on the shoulders of Angel di Maria. The Argentina international stepped up in the first half, testing Diego Benaglio with a low shot nine minutes in and then opening the scoring shortly after the half-hour mark.

Di Maria made the most of Neymar's absence by curling home a 25-yard free kick, shortly after teammate Colin Dagba had produced some sublime trickery to work a shooting angle. Monaco had opportunities of their own, with Yuri Tielemans' goalbound shot being deflected behind by the returning Thiago Silva, while Rony Lopes somehow slotted the ball wide when spotted in the middle by Samuel Grandsir.

Domestic cup kings PSG put their foot on the gas in the final 10 minutes of the first half, though, coming close through Stanley Nsoki's header and a long-range shot, before Christopher Nkunku furthered his claim for more regular playing time this season. The French youngster converted Nsoki's centre from a few yards out to make it three goals in three pre-season outings.

BENCH WATCH!

PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN SUBS: Trapp, Kurzawa, Marquinhos, Bernede, Lo Celso, Diaby, Neymar

MONACO SUBS: Sy, Pierre-Gabriel, N'Doram, Barreca, Diop, Mboula, Balde

© Reuters

KICKOFF:  We are back under way at the Shenzhen Stadium in China, where Monaco boss Leonardo Jardim has made a couple of changes. New signing Sofiane Diop is on for the second half, as is the familiar face of Balde Keita. Pele and Samuel Grandsir make way.

Monaco are going to play with three at the back in this second half as a result of those changes. Jardim clearly felt that change was needed, and on the basis of the final 10 minutes of the second half I have to agree with him.

SAVE!  Stevan Jovetic took on the shot earlier than expected, putting his boot through the ball from 25 yards out rather than charging into the box. It caught Gianluigi Buffon a little by surprise and the experienced keeper could only parry it.

Rabiot with a near-perfect cross towards the box post, which Timothy Weah could not quite get on the end of at full stretch. Moments beforehand, Monaco had a pretty weak penalty appeal turned down by the officials.

Nkunku goes on yet another of his mazy runs, but like many of his previous forays forward there is no end product. PSG are looking the brighter side and could well go on to bag themselves a third and fourth if Neymar is introduced.

SHOT!  Angel di Maria has another go from range, though on this occasion he cannot find the net with his effort. PSG showing in this second half that attacking is the best form of defence, as they continue to stifle their opponents.

Monaco struggling to get a touch of the ball at the moment. Things are looking good for Paris Saint-Germain, who still have Neymar to bring on should they wish. Tuchel will surely want to get at least 20 minutes out of the Brazilian.

SHOT!  Verratti and Rabiot are bossing things in the middle of the pitch. PSG in general are playing great football, in fact, and from their latest attack Di Maria blasts the ball into the side-netting. That third goal will surely arrive soon.

Diego Benaglio gets down low to keep out a dangerous cross, although he probably would have been better off leaving it if it was off target. Instead the loose ball popped up in the centre of the box - thankfully for him it was cleared away.

Still a little over a quarter of the match left to play, so while PSG are in complete control they are by no means home and dry. Monaco are struggling to get a foothold on the game at the moment, though, and Jardim must be tempted to make a further change.

PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN SUB! PSG's first change sees Lassana Diarra replaced by Marquinhos, which will likely mean a three-at-the-back system for the remaining 25 minutes. Tuchel has experimented with that system heavily this summer.

GOAL!  PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN 3-0 MONACO (TIMOTHY WEAH)

Another assist for Stanley Nsoki from left-back, as he runs past Andrea Raggi like he wasn't there and cuts the ball back for Timothy Weah. A nice finish from the American international, who tucked the ball through Diego Benaglio's legs.

OFF THE BAR!  Nkunku almost shatters the crossbar with his thumping shot from seven yards. Monaco's defence has been left exposed time and time again, with Benaglio also being called upon to keep out Di Maria's left-footed shot a minute beforehand.

PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN SUBS! Antoine Bernede is on for Thiago Silva, instantly slotting into a defensive-midfield position. Neymar is also introduced for his first PSG outing since February, taking over from Marco Verratti.

A huge roar went up to greet Neymar onto the pitch, and the Brazilian has 15 minutes to make an impact. This has pretty much been the perfect afternoon for Tuchel, whose side are easing their way to another French Super Cup victory.

Neymar, incidentally, is playing through the middle in the absence of a recognised striker. Monaco have been pretty poor in this second half, failing to put together any serious attacking moves and instead focusing on keeping out the opposition.

A little over 10 minutes to go in Shenzhen and there is no change to the flow of the match. Paris Saint-Germain are cruising to a sixth successive triumph in the Trophee des Champions, having built up a three-goal lead.

Neymar accelerates forward and it seems as though everyone inside the ground is out of their seats. The Brazilian had a wall of bodies in front of him and no options to his right, though, and therefore had to pass it backwards.

Neymar squirms after being clattered into, but he seems to be OK. Monaco desperate for the full-time whistle now, as PSG are putting together attack after attack in search of a fourth of the afternoon.

The referee will likely add on a few minutes at the end of the match, but that will not be enough to save Monaco. The opening half an hour was balanced; the remaining hour not so. PSG have been by far the better team today.

This match has been petering out pretty much ever since PSG netted their third goal of the contest through Timothy Weah. The conditions are maybe taking their toll, although it is more of a case of the Parisians knowing that the job is done.

Thomas Tuchel is barking out instructions from his technical area, where he has been sat on a water cooler pretty much all game. Monaco now knocking the ball around with the aim of pulling back a consolation goal in the remaining moments.

The attendance at the Shenzhen Stadium has been announced at 41,237. It has been a good afternoon for those supporting Paris Saint-Germain, and the vast majority will be particularly pleased having got the chance to see Neymar up close.

GOAL!  PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN 4-0 MOANCO (ANGEL DI MARIA)

Only two minutes were supposed to be played, but in the third minute of added-on time Angel di Maria rounds off the scoring with his second of the afternoon. The Argentina international tucked the ball home to add the icing to the top of the cake at the end of a quick counter.

FULL TIME:  FULL TIME: PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN 4-0 MONACO

An easy victory in the end for Paris Saint-Germain, then, with Angel di Maria proving the star man by opening the scoring and rounding it off. Credit to young full-back Stanley Nsoki, too, because he claimed assists for Christopher Nkunku and Timothy Weah in the one-sided affair.

That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events from the Shenzhen Stadium. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, and be sure to join us a little later for updates from friendlies involving Liverpool, Juventus and Real Madrid. Thanks for joining!