UEFA Champions League, Matchday 1

Parc des Princes, Paris

Paris Saint-Germain - Manchester United

- Kick-off at 21:00 CET (19:00 GMT)

There has been plenty of talk about his Paris boss Thomas Tuchel and his charges will be looking to avenge their away-goals elimination to the Red Devils two seasons ago, but the German tactician is clearly more concerned with the future than the past.

Tuchel: 'Show our quality'

"Manchester United isn't necessarily a great memory for us, even if we got a great result at Old Trafford. Since then, a lot of things have changed. We did extraordinary things last season and gained a lot of confidence. Our challenge will not be to think too much about that run, nor about being knocked out by them two years ago," explained Tuchel, whose side have bounced back from a tricky start to the Ligue 1 Uber Eats season and strung together a run of five wins, including a 4-0 win over Nîmes on Firday night.

"We need to show our quality and be able to come through a very difficult group. In top-level sport you must always prove yourself and win again. We have rediscovered our rhythm and our confidence, and we're a very dangerous team in the Champions League."

Tuchel will have a raft of injury absences - Marco Verratti, Mauro Icardi, Leandro Paredes, Thilo Kehrer and Juan Bernat - to contend with, but given the depth in his squad, will nonetheless field a dazzling line-up with Angel Di Maria, Kylian Mbappé and Neymar and to bring the cutting edge in a 4-3-3.

Marqui yes, Edi no

Captain Marquinhos should be fit enough to partner Presnel Kimpembe in the centre of defence, while summer signing Danilo Pereirais set to debut in a midfield holding role alongside Idrissa Gueye and Man U old boy Ander Herrera.

For the visitors, PSG old boy Edinson Cavani has been left out of the squad by coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but the absences of central defenders Harry Maguire and Mason Greenwood have been forced by injury.   

Probable teams

Paris Saint-Germain: Navas; Florenzi, Marquinhos (c), Kimpembe, Bakker; Herrera, Danilo, Gueye; Di Maria, Mbappé, Neymar

Manchester United: De Gea; Tuanzebe, Lindelöf, Shaw; Wan-Bissaka, McTominay, Pogba, Telles; Fernandes (c); Rashford, Martial

Roazhon Park, Rennes

Stade Rennais FC - Krasnodar

- Kick-off at 21:00 CET (19:00 CET)

Rennes boss Julien Stéphan's inspiration work at the helm of the Brittany club has brought Les Rouge et Noir to their first-ever UEFA Champions League group stage and, fittingly, the football gods have opted to hand them fellow debutants FC Krasnodar for their first time out - which is just as Stéphan would like it, even though he would doubtless preferred wins over his side's recent pair of league draws.

Stéphan: 'Hit our straps'

"The objective is to approach this meeting in a very relaxed way by staying focused and playing the most offensive football possible," explained the young coach, who brought the club its first silverware in 48 years when the Bretons pipped PSG to the Coupe de France tittle in 2019. "We don't want to wait three games before we rally get going. We want to hit our straps right away."

Stéphan's urge to get going is not only wise but very understandable given that the club spent much of the long transfer window investing heavily - more than any other French club this summer - in the likes of strikers Serhou Guirassy and Jérémy Doku, stopper Nayef Aguerd, left-back Dalbert, 'keeper Alfred Gomis and winger Martin Terrier.

All these names should be on the teamsheet for Tuesday's match, along with World Cup winner Steven Nzonzi and a certain Eduardo Camavinga, the 17-year-old midfield sensation who recently scored in his first start for France.

Key absences for Krasnodar

Meanwhile Krasnodar's French star Rémy Cabella will be out after a 'suspicious' COVID swab result - as is the case for striker Yevgeni Markov. What's more, coach Murad Musayev, suffering form a cold, has not made the trip to Brittany.

"The coach has done the preparatory work, now we just need to follow his instructions," said assistant coach Artur Olenin, who will deputise for the evening. "But we won't be on the phone during the match. I will make the decisions."

Probable teams

Stade Rennais FC: Salin (or Gomis); Traoré, Da Silva (c), Aguerd (or Rugani), Dalbert; Bourigeaud, Nzonzi, Camavinga; Doku, Guirassy, Terrier

Krasnodar: Safonov; Petrov, Martinovitch, Kaio, Ramirez; Outkine, Olsson, Vilhena; Koutovoï, Berg, Claesson