On Wednesday, French giants PSG will travel to face Manchester City in the second round of the Champions League group stage. This highly-anticipated encounter holds a unique emotional current: Ferran Torres returns to his former home ground, while Gianluigi Donnarumma prepares to face the side with whom he lifted Europe's most prestigious club trophy.
Both teams have made convincing starts in the tournament: PSG dismantled Slovakian side Slovan Bratislava 6-1, while City calmly overcame Porto away with a 2-0 victory. The last meeting between the two sides in January 2025 ended with a 4-2 win for the French club, but since then, there's been a dramatic shift in the dugout for the hosts as Enzo Maresca takes over from Pep Guardiola.
Torres returns to the Etihad
Spanish forward Ferran Torres is well acquainted with every nook and cranny of the Manchester arena. After moving from Valencia in the summer of 2020, he made 43 appearances for the club, scoring 16 goals and providing 4 assists, while also securing Premier League and EFL Cup titles in 2021.
In January 2022, the forward transferred to Barcelona, and on August 15, he signed a deal with PSG until 2031 for around €50 million, just weeks after scoring a crucial extra-time goal against Argentina in the World Cup final.
Gianluigi Donnarumma's personal challenge
For Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, this match marks a significant personal grudge match. After joining PSG in 2021, he lifted four league titles in France, peaking with a Champions League victory in 2025, where the team stunned Inter Milan 5-0 in the final, with Donnarumma playing every minute of the campaign.
However, his departure in September 2025 was painful: manager Luis Enrique opted for the signing of Lucas Chevalier from Lille, leaving Donnarumma out of the Super Cup squad altogether. Having signed a five-year contract with Manchester City, the Italian is set to start in his first-ever match against his former club, determined to prove PSG's hierarchy wrong.
