Champions Paris Saint-Germain are the dominant force in French football at present and can also boast to being the richest club in France.
Current
Since their takeover by Qatar Investment Authority in 2012 which has allowed the club to spend big money on players, PSG have qualified for the Champions League for the last two seasons and won their first league title in 19 years. Fans of Paris Saint-Germain will be hoping that with some quality additions to their squad they can retain the Ligue 1 title in 2013/14 and progress beyond the UEFA Champions League quarter finals.
Thanks to the financial muscle of their owners, PSG can afford to attract some of the world’s best footballers. Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is considered PSG’s main threat and star player. He is supported by young Brazilian attacker Lucas Moura and talented Argentine forwards Ezequiel Lavezzi and Javier Pastore who provide PSG with plenty of attacking options. As well as carrying a deadly attacking threat, PSG have a solid defence which includes the likes of Brazilian Thiago Silva, Mamadou Sakho and Dutch full back Gregory Van Der Wiel who all make it difficult for PSG’s opposition to score.
Paris Saint-Germain have appointed ex-France defender Laurent Blanc as manager for the 2013/14 campaign following Carlo Ancelotti’s decision to join Real Madrid. Despite only being 47 years old, Laurent Blanc has an impressive CV having already managed the French national team. The Frenchman has also tasted success managing at club level in Ligue 1 with Bordeaux where he won the league and cup double in 2008/09. As a player, Laurent Blanc was a World Cup winner in 1998 and also won many domestic honours including the Premier League with Manchester United.
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PSG contest a bitter rivalry with Olympique Marseille known as Le Classique. This rivalry is between the two biggest cities in France as well as the only two French teams to have ever won a major European trophy which adds to the occasion. The last fixture between Marseille and PSG ended in a 2-0 victory for PSG with Zlatan Ibrahimovic scoring both goals.
Stadium
Paris Saint-Germain play their home games at the Parc des Princes in the French capital. The 48,000 plus, all-seater stadium became home of the current French champions in 1973 and is the fourth largest stadium in France. The Parisian club averages about 40,000 spectators per match in the stadium which played host to six matches during the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
Paris Saint-Germain – 2012/13
Paris Saint-Germain is one of the top teams in Ligue 1. Recent success in Ligue 1 and Champions League and the acquisition of players such Zlatan Ibrahimović, David Beckham and Alex make underlined the clubs ambitions – to be the best team in Europe.
Current
PSG is certainly at the top of the Ligue 1 table and on course for their first league title in nineteen years. The team of manager Carlo Ancelotti is eight points clear of Lyon and ten points clear of rival and third-placed Marseille. Incredibly, the club have only lost two out of their last twenty-two matches. PSG are also performing very well in the Champions League, having topped their group by winning five out of their six games. They then went on to dispose of Valencia in the Round of 16, but lost against FC Barcelona in the quarter-finals.
PSG’s spending power is certainly a major part of there recent perfomances. New stars such as centre-back Thiago Silva, Lucas Moura and Ligue 1’s top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic (25 goals) were added to the squad and money does not seem to be drying up any time soon as well for PSG, especially with Qatar Investment in the background. The club is always linked with new transfer rumours involving the greatest talents. This can only allow them to progress even further.
Stadium
PSG play their home matches at the Parc des Princes in South-West Paris, which has a capacity of 48,712 and has been their home since 1973. It is the fourth largest football stadium in France. The stadium is home to the notorious Kop of Boulogne, which was labelled “the most notorious stand in French football”. However, behaviour of the spectators within it has now calmed down. Due to the stadium having a roof, it is known to be very atmospheric as a result of the deafening noise made by PSG fans.
History
The club was established on 12th August 1970 after a merger between Paris FC and Stade Saint-Germain. They won their first league title in 1986, which was then followed by their only other league title win in the 1993/94 season. PSG have won eight French Cup’s and three League Cup’s in total throughout their history. In the 2011/12 league campaign, the club finished in second place, setting a record for a second-place club with 79 points in the process. They certainly look set to win the title this year!
