Soccer Football - UEFA Champions League - Final - Paris St Germain Training - Campus Paris St Germain, Poissy, France - May 20, 2026 Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique, Desire Doue and Dro Fernandez during training REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
With just seven days remaining until the highly anticipated Champions League final, Paris Saint-Germain orchestrated a high-stakes rehearsal at their training facility in Poissy. The club’s leadership, under coach Luis Enrique, orchestrated an internal friendly match to sharpen the squad’s competitive edge ahead of the May 30 showdown against Arsenal in Budapest.
The session unfolded at the PSG Campus, where two evenly matched teams of eleven players engaged in a fiercely contested 60-minute duel. The intensity mirrored matchday conditions, offering players a final opportunity to fine-tune their chemistry before Europe’s biggest stage.
Lineups and tactical insights
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 notably absent from the drill. Both players, however, completed individual workouts and remain fully fit for the final. Their absence did not raise concerns among the technical staff, who have carefully managed their preparations. Defenders Nuno Mendes and Willian Pacho, who missed the previous Ligue 1 fixture against Paris FC, were fully involved in the session.
Emerging talents and goal scorers
The training session also served as a platform for younger players to showcase their progress. Rookies Abdou Fanne Drame, Rayan Abo El Nay, Thomas Cordier, and Yanis Khafi took part, with Vitinha, Ibrahim Mbaye, and Gonçalo Ramos finding the back of the net during the match.
A stadium-like atmosphere
The session attracted over 1,000 ultras, invited by the club to celebrate their unwavering support throughout the season. The atmosphere replicated matchday conditions, with the Collectif Ultras Paris unfurling a banner reading, “Once it’s historic, twice it’s legendary.” The event also featured more than 150 children from the PSG for Communities initiative, personally welcomed by club president Nasser Al-Khelaïfi.
To cap off the day, captain Marquinhos and his teammates presented match-worn jerseys and footballs to the fans in attendance. Following a rest day on Sunday and Monday, the squad will return to training on Tuesday, stepping into the final stretch of their campaign.
