Paris Saint-Germain is in high gear as the Champions League final against Arsenal approaches. Just one week away from the showdown in Budapest, the club orchestrated a high-stakes internal scrimmage at the Campus PSG in Poissy to sharpen the squad’s edge.
The session, played at full intensity, featured two 11-player teams battling for an hour. The exercise served as a final tune-up before the May 30 clash, with both sides pushing hard to simulate real match conditions.
Luis Enrique’s squad was split into two groups for the friendly duel:
- Black Team: Marin – Fanne Drame, Zabarnyi, Hernandez, Mendes – Mayulu, Neves, Beraldo – Doué, Ramos, Barcola.
- White Team: Safonov – Zaïre-Emery, Pacho, Marquinhos, Cordier – Dro, Vitinha, Ruiz – Mbaye, Lee, Kvaratskhelia.
Two key figures, Ousmane Dembélé and Achraf Hakimi, were absent from the clash. However, their absence raised no alarms internally. Both players trained separately and remain fully fit for the final, with no risks taken by the medical staff. Their late withdrawal from the Ligue 1 game against Paris FC did not affect their readiness, as Nuno Mendes and Willian Pacho were back in action.
The coaching staff also blended in young talents like Abdou Fanne Drame, Rayan Abo El Nay, Thomas Cordier, and Yanis Khafi. Among the standout performers were Vitinha, Ibrahim Mbaye, and Gonçalo Ramos, who all found the net during the session.
The scrimmage drew a crowd of 1,000 ultras, invited to celebrate their season-long dedication and to recreate the electric atmosphere of a live match. The Collectif Ultras Paris made their presence felt with a banner reading, “Once is historic, twice is legendary.” Over 150 children from PSG for Communities were also in attendance, personally welcomed by club president Nasser Al-Khelaïfi.
At the conclusion of the match, Marquinhos and his teammates handed over signed jerseys and footballs to the fans. With no action planned for Sunday and Monday, the team will resume training on Tuesday, entering the final stretch of preparation.