A lot has changed since Paris Saint-Germain last featured in the UEFA Champions League earlier this year. Players have come and gone, but one thing remained the same: defeating Borussia Dortmund.

On this episode of PSG Talking, I'm joined by Jonathan Johnson of CBS Sports to recap PSG's 2-0 victory over Dortmund to open group stage play of the Champions League. We discuss the squad's performance, standout players, and I get JJ's thoughts on the new kit as well.

We start with Johnson's description of the atmosphere at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday night. Was there a sense of optimism amongst the crowd or nervous energy about the unknown? How did the Dortmund supporters feel heading into the match? JJ shares his first-hand account with us.

Next, we discuss PSG's first-half performance, which lacked a goal but delivered plenty of promise. We also talk about Dortmund's tactics, which were apparently to play defense for 90 minutes and try to escape with a scoreless draw.

The man of the match was Vitinha, who nearly scored in the first half and recorded a beautiful assist to Achraf Hakimi for PSG's second goal of the night. I also ask JJ about the recent news that he and Lionel Messi butted heads in training last season.

Speaking of Messi, I ask Johnson what he thought was the biggest difference between PSG last season with Messi and Neymar, compared to this season.

Finally, we talk about the upcoming fixture against Olympique de Marseille on Sunday, and JJ helps preview that matchup as PSG looks for a positive result to climb the Ligue 1 table.

As always, thank you for listening, and be sure to subscribe and rate the show wherever you download your podcasts. We’re also on Substack! Subscribe for free today to access premium PSG content.