The PSG Champions League campaign heads to Spain on Tuesday night with a perfect record, a thinned-out squad and a full-back in the form of his life. Three days after a 5-1 rout of Le Havre, Luis Enrique’s side face Villarreal at the Estadio de la Cerámica (9pm Paris time), chasing a fourth straight win in the league phase.
It is the kind of trip that rarely makes headlines in autumn and often decides a season by January. Paris arrive on top of Ligue 1, on top of their game and, for now, on top of their injury list. Just about.
Hakimi’s night on the Normandy coast
Friday’s ninth round of Ligue 1 began awkwardly at the Stade Océane. Josh Maja put bottom-placed Le Havre ahead after 18 minutes, and for a brief moment the champions looked mortal. Then the game tilted. Mika Godts levelled on 26 minutes, and two minutes later Achraf Hakimi, released by Senny Mayulu, put Paris in front.
The Moroccan right-back was only getting started. He curled in a free-kick just after the break, watched Mayulu make it four shortly after the hour, then completed a rare hat-trick on 69 minutes, pouncing on a rebound after a Godts cross. According to 101 Great Goals, he also set up two of his team-mates’ goals. Goalkeeper Matvey Safonov preserved the margin with a couple of sharp late saves.
The win carried a quieter milestone. As the club noted, it was Luis Enrique’s 127th victory in all competitions since he took charge in 2023, a new record for a PSG coach. The Spaniard has turned a club once defined by stars into one defined by a system, and nights like Friday, when a defender finishes as the top scorer, are the proof.
It also kept Paris at the summit. After the weekend, PSG sit on 20 points from nine matches, two clear of Lille, who edged the Nord derby 1-0 against Lens thanks to a late Olivier Giroud goal. Lyon and Paris FC follow on 17, a reminder that the capital now has two clubs in the upper reaches of the table, a rivalry STAMP saw coming when Paris FC returned to Ligue 1.
An infirmary that would worry anyone else
The mood is bright; the medical bulletin is not. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee against Barcelona and is set for surgery, an injury that typically means months out. Ousmane Dembélé and captain Marquinhos both picked up thigh injuries in that same match and were ruled out for several weeks by the club. Nuno Mendes is also listed among the absentees for Tuesday.
That is a winger, a Ballon d’Or winner, a captain and a first-choice left-back missing from one away game. Most squads would buckle. Paris, so far, have rotated: young players such as Mayulu and Godts are getting minutes and making them count, while Hakimi’s output from deep has softened the loss of Dembélé’s goals.
Villarreal: a first meeting with history on the line
Tuesday’s opponents have endured a rougher start in Europe, with one win from three games, most recently a 4-3 defeat at Liverpool. Villarreal will be missing injured forwards Gerard Moreno and Ilias Akhomach, according to previews by Sports Mole and Khel Now. Khel Now also notes that this will be the first competitive meeting between the two clubs.
Paris, by contrast, have been ruthless. They opened with a 6-1 win over Slovan Bratislava, went to Manchester and won 4-2 at City, then beat Barcelona 4-2. Three games, fourteen goals, nine points. A win in eastern Spain would leave the reigning European champions within touching distance of the top-eight places that bring direct entry to the round of 16, and spare them the play-off round in February.
The bigger picture is tantalising. Back-to-back winners in 2025 and 2026, PSG are chasing a third consecutive Champions League title, something only Real Madrid have achieved in the Champions League era. Luis Enrique would never say it out loud this early in the season. But a squad that can lose four regulars and still score five on a Friday night is a squad that believes.
Sources
- PSG.fr (official) — 30–31 October 2026
- Yahoo Sports — 31 October 2026
- 101 Great Goals — 30 October 2026
- theScore — 31 October 2026
- Footeo — 1 November 2026
- Flashscore — 30 October 2026
- Sports Mole — 1 November 2026
- Khel Now — 2 November 2026
- La Nación — 2 November 2026
- Sortiraparis — updated 2026
- VIPSG (PSG medical bulletin) — 21 October 2026
- NPR — 30 May 2026
- Ahram Online — 14 October 2026
Cover photo: Photo: Валерий Дед — CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
