PSG Face Most Important Test Against Lyon in Trophee des Champions

On Saturday evening, in Klagenfurt, Austria, Paris Saint-Germain will play their first competitive match of the season, taking on Olympique Lyonnais in the Trophee des Champions.

This is the fourth consecutive year that the Parisians have played in the season opener. Each time they have been victorious, but this is perhaps the most important of the four.

Unai Emery's era as boss of PSG properly begins on Saturday. Forget the four friendly wins, anything but a victory against OL would put a huge cloud over everything the club have set out to do this summer.

Although they are strong enough to easily bounce back and still win the league and domestic trophies regardless of what the result is, it would completely disturb their early season plans.

PSG players beware re: Emery's detailed video analysis of opponents (via @UEFAcom ) #PSG pic.twitter.com/ImeLQ2mJbc

— Adam Summerton (@adamsummerton) August 2, 2016

"It's the most important match, as it's the first official match of the season," PSG's director of football Patrick Kluivert told the club's official website. "We know that Lyon are a great team too, so we will have to play well to figure in this match."

"The squad worked hard in the United States," continued Kluivert. "It was a great way to prepare for the Trophee des Champions against Olympique Lyonnais."

Emery's side will start with confidence in their ability to dominate this early fixture. Wins over West Bromwich Albion, Inter Milan, Leicester City and Real Madrid were the perfect preparation, but that all goes out of the window if they can't start the campaign with the first piece of silverware.

We're lucky to be playing this match as we already have a chance to win a trophy - in a single match. We know it won't be easy. During our pre-season, we won all our matches, but Lyon have had a good lead-up too. We'll need to be at 100%. It would be great to start with a trophy. We've been working all week for this match on 6 August and I think that we will be ready for the Trophee des Champions.

Twelve months ago, these two teams did battle in the 2015 edition of the same trophy, with PSG comfortably winning the game 2-0 in Montreal. Everyone was shocked at Lyon's lack of competitiveness, but it would play out in the early weeks of the season that this OL side was far from the team that finished second in the league.

Their summer had been disrupted. A public feud between star-striker Alexandre Lacazette and president Jean-Michel Aulas saw a dark cloud linger over the club. Even when the window shut and the France international was still in the squad, he didn't look as committed as he had done.

Injuries didn't help. Lacazette was struggling, and his sensational partner Nabil Fekir was lost for the season after he was injured while playing for France.

Lyon's Nabil Fekir feeling positive after cruciate ligament injury https://t.co/iwQSc0w4r3

— Mark Rodden (@MRodden) August 5, 2016

Lyon only won three of their opening eight games before finally finding some form. That would only last until November, though.

Under the guidance of Hubert Fournier, Lyon would then lose five of their next six games, with only a goalless draw against Nantes breaking up the defeats.

In the final league game before the winter break, Lyon had lost 2-1 against lowly Gazelec Ajaccio, leading Aulas to remove Fournier and promote Bruno Genesio to first-team coach.

OL would win comfortably in the Coupe de France round of 32 against Limoges in January, then again in the league against Troyes. In wasn't all plain sailing for Genesio, but once he had a few weeks under his belt and his philosophy and tactics began to shine through, Lyon quickly picked up steam.

Following a 1-0 defeat to Bastia at the end of January, Lyon would win eight of their next 10 league games. They would only lose twice throughout the rest of the campaign, and they sealed a sensational 2-1 victory over PSG at the newly opened Parc OL. It was a win that inflicted Laurent Blanc's only league defeat of the season and gave Ligue 1 clubs hope that the juggernaut from the capital could be stopped.

On Saturday night, PSG are not facing the Lyon that whimpered through the first part of the last campaign. Emery's team are facing a rejuvenated Lyon, a side that are dangerous in attack and an XI that have a fearlessness about them, something that comes from the number of academy players throughout their squad.

Lyon had to sell this summer, they always do, and Samuel Umtiti's transfer to Barcelona left a huge hole in the defence, but bringing in Nicolas Nkoulou from Marseille is a more than capable replacement.

Genesio : "My president has reassured me by saying once again that there is not a departure. Lacazette" [@OL] pic.twitter.com/worG3HsyhE

— Ema Ralte (@Ema_Ralte) July 29, 2016

Lacazette may not be a Lyon player when the transfer window closes in September. He could, perhaps, become a PSG signing, according to L’Equipe (h/t the Daily Mail's Paul McNamara) —although Arsenal are still showing interest.

Other reports suggested he will stay at the club this year, per Le Progres, but until a deal is impossible, you can never say never.

Le Progres, citing a source close to the club, report that Alexandre Lacazette won't be leaving #OL this summer, despite #Arsenal interest.

— Andrew Gibney (@Gibney_A) August 4, 2016

Emery's side need to be prepared for a war this weekend, with Genesio, Aulas and Lyon keen to start the season with a bang and inflict an early blow to PSG's new era.

After the tour of America, Emery said, per the PSG website:

We have played three matches against Inter, Real Madrid, and Leicester, all great teams. I'm very happy for the players and happy with the results, even though they weren't the most important thing. Winning is important for the confidence, to make progress and to create a team. We have done some good tactical, psychological and physical work. And it showed out on the pitch. We played some good football. I'm very happy with the four matches we've played in the pre-season. The season begins next week with very important match. We played with experience even though we fielded quite a few young players. With the new recruits, we're going to have a good team.

Also different from last year is PSG’s system. It looks like Emery will continue with the 4-2-3-1 that he found success with at Sevilla. It should make the champions more fluid and unpredictable, and they have looked considerably quicker on the break than they have previously.

In that sense, both teams will now play in a similar fashion—each able to control possession and slow the game down, but with that desire to break with pace and attack before the defences get a chance to reorganise.

PSG will go into the Trophee des Champions against Lyon without captain Thiago Silva and striker Edinson Cavani. pic.twitter.com/XRUzF7VArT

— Sangalo (@SangaloFootball) August 5, 2016

Emery has some injury problems going into the game. Thiago Silva will miss out, with reports suggesting he could also miss the opening league fixture against Bastia.

Marco Verratti & Blaise Matuidi are IN the group. #PSGOL #TDC

— Jonathan Johnson (@Jon_LeGossip) August 5, 2016

Edinson Cavani has now also had to pull out of the squad, via the club, which could give teenage striker Jean-Kevin Augustin a chance to continue his excellent summer and lead the PSG attack.

Blaise Matuidi returns to the squad after his European Championship campaign with France but is unlikely to start. Elsewhere, new signing Grzegorz Krychowiak is suspended, per the PSG website, so it means that we will have to wait a few more weeks until we really find out who Emery’s true starting XI will be. However, it does fill Saturday’s fixture with mystery and intrigue.

Lyon, for the sake of the league and their own season, need a win on Saturday, but for Emery and the new start his appointment has brought to the French capital, this is the biggest Trophee des Champions game PSG has ever played.

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