Manchester City welcome Paris Saint-Germain to the Etihad on Wednesday night, and Enzo Maresca has no illusions about the scale of the task. The City boss called the French champions the best team in Europe right now — then backed his own side to beat them anyway.
Guardiola's Return
For Pep Guardiola, this is a homecoming. He spent a decade at the Etihad, winning 20 major trophies after previous spells at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, and he worked alongside Maresca when City claimed the Treble in 2023.
Maresca, who spoke with Guardiola after the Manchester United game but not since, was warm about the prospect of his old colleague walking back through the doors.
"In case he's coming, it's a nice feeling, especially for him because this has been his house for 10 years — it's still his house, for what he has done here! I think it's exciting for everyone."
It was one of Guardiola's final signings, incidentally, that helped shape the current squad. Antoine Semenyo arrived at the Etihad before the Guardiola era closed. Whether that detail matters on Wednesday is another question.
PSG's Form
The visitors arrive with a mixed recent record. They beat Aston Villa in the UEFA Super Cup to open their season, then went winless across their next four domestic fixtures — dispiriting defeats to Lens and Monaco either side of draws with Rennes and LOSC Lille. Since then, Luis Enrique's side have won four on the bounce.
Maresca isn't taking them lightly.
"The message for tomorrow night is quite easy: We need the perfect game because they are the best team in Europe in this moment; they won the last two UEFA Champions Leagues, so that shows how good they are."
"We need the perfect game, but at the same time, doing our best, I think we can beat them and be happy at the end."
City's Momentum
City go into the game on a perfect start to the 2026/27 season. Sunday's trip to Anfield ended in a dismantling of Liverpool, with Ryan Gravenberch's second yellow card in the 62nd minute opening the door.
Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki and Jeremy Doku scored in quick succession to seal three points and keep the club top of the Premier League ahead of their first Champions League fixture.
Win on Wednesday and City's perfect start extends to nine games in all competitions.
Off the pitch, the club's appeal against the verdict on 114 of 115 charges is ongoing, with a new three-person commission given 12 weeks to conduct a second hearing. That story rumbles on in the background. On the pitch, City have started the season in the only way that matters.