Manchester City fans will rest their hopes on Erling Haaland to guide the team to victory when they host PSG on Wednesday [File: Henry Nicholls/AFP]By Manasi PathakPublished On 13 Oct 202613 Oct 2026
Who: Manchester City vs Paris Saint-Germain What: UEFA Champions League, matchday 2 Where: City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester, United Kingdom When: Wednesday, October 14, at 8pm (19:00 GMT) How to follow: Al Jazeera Sport will bring you all the build-up and live updates from 16:00 GMT.
After being found guilty of an unprecedented breach of the Premier League’s financial rules, Manchester City turn their focus to the Champions League this week, as they host two-time holders PSG on matchday two.
Fresh off a defiant league win over Liverpool at a hostile Anfield, City have momentum on their side as they welcome PSG in a clash of two of Europe’s finest teams.
Fans will have a golden opportunity to witness a mouthwatering battle between Erling Haaland, City’s lethal striker, and forward Ferran Torres, who is enjoying his new spell at PSG after helping Spain win the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Haaland has eight goals across all competitions; Torres has seven. On Wednesday, more could be added to those tallies in this round of the UCL.
After Tuesday’s league matches, PSG are ranked fifth while Man City are ninth.
An independent commission found City guilty of almost all of the 115 charges relating to breaches of Premier League financial regulations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons, as well as three of four charges relating to failures to cooperate with the investigation.
No sanctions have been decided yet, but if City’s appeal fails, potential punishments include a significant point deduction and expulsion from the Premier League.
There is even the prospect of three Premier League titles being stripped from City, who won them from 2009 to 2018, the period to which the charges relate.
Man City have maintained a perfect record in the Premier League, winning all six matches.
Their only defeat across all competitions this season came in mid-August, when they lost to Arsenal in the Community Shield, the traditional curtain-raiser to the English football season.
PSG, who usually dominate Ligue 1 having won a record 14 titles, are fifth in the table, three points adrift of leaders Barcelona.
Reigning champions PSG thrashed Slovan Bratislava 6-1 at home in their first UCL match of the season, while Man City won 2-0 away to Porto in their campaign opener.
That keeps PSG fifth and Man City ninth in the league phase of this year’s Champions League.
The top eight teams at the end of the league phase qualify directly to the knockout rounds, which begin with the round of 16.
The Opta supercomputer has made City the favourites, with a win probability of 44.1 percent. PSG were given a 32 percent chance of winning, while a draw was estimated at a 23.9 percent likelihood.
(Last five matches across all competitions, latest match first)
Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki (Man City): Haaland’s six goals make him the Premier League’s leading scorer this season. His excellent form follows an equally impressive World Cup debut with Norway in North America. Haaland’s teammate Cherki is another vital City attacker with five goals and two assists in all competitions.
Ferran Torres and Marquinhos (PSG): Torres, whose extra-time goal guided Spain to the 2026 World Cup triumph, has made a quick start to life at his new club PSG, scoring seven goals in all competitions. That includes a hat-trick in PSG’s first UCL fixture. Meanwhile, captain Marquinhos has been an important presence in defence and has also scored three times.
Gianluigi Donnarumma; Matheus Nunes, Marc Guehi, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol; Ayyoub Bouaddi, Enzo Fernandez; Phil Foden, Rayan Cherki, Antoine Semenyo; Erling Haaland
Matvey Safonov; Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes; Dro Fernandez, Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz; Maghnes Akliouche, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ferran Torres
