A troubled and unsettled PSG wants to stay on the wave and forget about a distant nightmare.

Udine, the Italian city at the foot of the Alps with fewer than 100,000 inhabitants and a record 2,500 solar panels on its football stadium, will host the first title of the European season tonight (9:00 p.m.). Alcohol with more than 5% alcohol will not be sold to the flood of London fans, always eager to accompany Tottenham on their travels, as they did at San Mamés last May when, in a yawn-filled match, they lifted the Europa League against Manchester United.

With nothing to lose, Thomas Frank's team—who replaced the ousted Ange Postecoglou, leaving the team 17th in the Premier League—have lost Houng Mi Son, who was transferred to the MLS for a record fee, and James Maddison, who is seriously injured. Dominic Solanke will be out, while Destiny Udogie is a doubt in defense. Spurs have played six preseason games, winning against Arsenal (0-1) and losing to Bayern (4-0).

PSG lives at the other end of the spectrum. After losing to Chelsea in the Club World Cup final just a month ago, following a flawless tournament until the very last match, they rested for three weeks and have trained seven times. This is a debut. And they do so with a title at stake.

Read also

And it will happen in a turbulent atmosphere due to the non-call of their goalkeeper, Gigi Donnarumma, whose contract expires in 2026 and the club is inviting him to leave. His case, reminiscent of Marc André ter Stegen's at Barça, with all the nuances that both stories hold, is causing a stir in Italy and France.

Lucas Chevalier, the 23-year-old French goalkeeper hopeful, will make his debut. Dembélé is the big doubt, and Joao Neves, suspended, will miss the match.

Luis Enrique already predicts that this year everything will be more difficult and in Paris they recall the 1996 European Super Cup in which they lost 9-2 (with a 1-6 at the Parc des Princes) to Deschamps and Zidane's Juventus.

That was a stain on a club that was at a lower level than it is today but was enjoying golden years, such as the 1996 Cup Winners' Cup runner-up finish against Barcelona . Those were other times. Now they're the favorites, even though their boots are heavy after a year of overindulgence.