Two French champions prepare for battle at Campus PSG in Friday's friendly, as Ligue 1 holders Paris Saint-Germain welcome Ligue 2 champions Le Havre to their training base.
The exhibition match will represent Luis Enrique's inauguration as PSG's newest head coach before the capital giants embark on a tour of Japan and South Korea in the next couple of weeks.
Match preview
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Perhaps inevitably, Christophe Galtier became the latest victim of the merciless PSG board earlier this summer, as the former Lille and Nice head coach prolonged Les Parisiens' domestic dominance but still suffered the same fate as many of his predecessors.
Unable to shake the last-16 Champions League curse that has haunted PSG for many years, Galtier - who was also at the centre of a racism storm for alleged comments made about black and Muslim players during his days at Nice, which he denies - departed in relatively uneventful circumstances, allowing seasoned silverware specialist Luis Enrique to cup the poisoned chalice.
A treble-winner with Barcelona before a pair of unspectacular spells in the Spanish hotseat, Enrique certainly commands respect from PSG's troops, who only ended up only one point clear of Lens at the top of the Ligue 1 standings as the walls of the Parc des Princes fortress fell down.
A 1-1 draw away to Strasbourg on the penultimate weekend saw Galtier achieve the bare minimum of Ligue 1 glory, but the season ended on another sour note for Les Parisiens as they were defeated 3-2 at home by a rapidly-improving Clermont, before Lionel Messi's exit and Kylian Mbappe's refusal to extend his contract began to dominate the headlines.
Messi's departure to Inter Miami means that the Argentine will not enjoy another reunion with long-time foe Cristiano Ronaldo when PSG meet Al-Nassr in Japan on July 25, while Cerezo Osaka (July 28), Inter Milan (August 1) and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (August 3) will also be lying in wait during the French champions' Asian sojourn.
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Also adding a French league title to their sparse trophy cabinet in the 2022-23 season, Le Havre's 15-year absence from Ligue 1 will come to an end next month, as Luka Elsner's side came up trumps in a fierce three-horse promotion fight from the second division.
Taking 75 points from 114 on offer, Le Havre fended off the threat of Metz by three points to return to the big time as Ligue 2 champions, having assumed their position at the summit of the standings in the 14th gameweek and refusing to relinquish their ranking in what remained of the season.
Top-flight regulars during the 1980s and 1990s, Le Havre's most recent top-flight campaign in 2008-09 was a miserable affair, as Les Ciel et Marine finished in 20th place with an appropriate 20 points to their name to fall straight back down to Ligue 2, but the recruitment board have already taken steps to ensure a similar fate does not befall them this time around.
Elsner's men opened their pre-season account with an astonishing 9-2 thrashing of Triglav - minnows from the manager's native Slovenia - while they paid a visit to Caen on Wednesday evening and came away with a convincing 3-1 triumph.
Only two days later, Le Havre will reunite with PSG for the first time since their doomed 2008-09 season, which included a pair of 3-1 and 3-0 defeats to Les Parisiens, who have not suffered a competitive defeat to the Ligue 1 new boys since 1999.
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Team News
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Dipping into their enviable cash reserves once again, PSG have welcomed Xavi Simons, Manuel Ugarte, Marco Asensio, Lee Kang-in, Cher Ndour, Milan Skriniar and Lucas Hernandez to the Parc des Princes this summer, and the latter has made the cut after working his way back from the devastating ACL injury he sustained at the World Cup.
Neymar is due to take part in some practice sessions this week as he recuperates from his serious ankle issue, but Friday's game may come too soon for the Brazilian, while Nordi Mukiele, Presnel Kimpembe and Nuno Mendes are on the defensive injury list.
With Sergio Ramos and El Chadaille Bitshiabu also packing their bags this summer, Skriniar is seemingly guaranteed to make his debut in the backline here, while Mbappe is training as normal amid the incessant speculation regarding his future.
Prior to being put through their paces on Tuesday, PSG paid tribute to goalkeeper Sergio Rico, who is slowly but surely recovering from a serious horse riding accident, which left him in a coma with severe head injuries.
Meanwhile, Le Havre have unsurprisingly reinforced their backline ahead of a potential scrap for survival, bringing in former Troyes defender Yoann Salmier and Hungarian international right-back Loic Nego.
Twenty-one-year old midfielder Rassoul Ndiaye has been the visitors' marquee signing so far - costing €1.5m (£1.3m) to poach from Sochaux - while attacker Issa Soumare has also arrived after weighing in with six goals and six assists for Quevilly Rouen last term, and he netted Le Havre's third in their midweek success versus Caen.
Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:
Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Skriniar, Bernat; Verratti, Ugarte, Ruiz; Asensio, Ekitike, Mbappe
Le Havre possible starting lineup:
Desmas; Salmier, Sangante, Lloris; Nego, Confais, Mbemba, Operi; Soumare, Joujou, Alioui
We say: Paris Saint-Germain 4-0 Le Havre
With Le Havre sure to be feeling the effects of Wednesday's encounter with Caen, PSG's new recruits ought to lay down a marker at their training base and give the Ligue 2 champions a taste of what is to come.
A new-look Parisiens will inevitably take some time to adapt to Enrique's methods, but there should only be one victor in Friday's battle of the champions.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ben Knapton
