Preview: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Gamba Osaka - prediction, team news, lineups

This will be the third game of the French club's tour of the Asian nation, the previous outing coming as recently as Saturday.

Match preview

Having only been confirmed as the successor to Mauricio Pochettino as recently as July 5, Christophe Galtier has had to cram a lot of work into just a few weeks.

Transfer business continues to be conducted in the background with Vitinha and Hugo Ekitike both notable additions to a squad already full of quality.

However, Galtier will take greater satisfaction from his side making relatively like work of Quevilly-Rouen, Kawasaki Frontale and Urawa Red Diamonds during their friendly fixtures.

Their most recent outing on Saturday ended in a 3-0 scoreline with Pablo Sarabia, Kylian Mbappe and Arnaud Kalimuendo all getting on the scoresheet.

Playing just four games ahead of the new season is a fairly light schedule, but PSG also go up against Nantes in the Trophee des Champions next Sunday.

Meanwhile, Gamba Osaka are taking a break from their J-League campaign to take on one of the world's most reputable clubs.

Tomohiro Katanosaka may feel that it is a welcome break for a team which have lost their last four games on the domestic scene.

Having accumulated just 22 points from 21 league fixtures, Gamba Osaka sit in 16th position, just two points clear of bottom-placed Jubilo Iwata.

Furthermore, they have netted just once in their most recent nine halves of football, that goal coming from Kwon Kyung-Won in the 2-1 defeat at home to rivals Cerezo Osaka.

Paris Saint-Germain Club Friendlies 1 form:

Gamba Osaka form (all competitions):

Team News

With Galtier making just two changes at half time on Saturday, it is realistic to expect that the entire PSG starting lineup will be made up of different players.

That would see the likes of Sergio Ramos, Vitinha, Lionel Messi and Neymar all handed recalls to the side.

Given the players at his disposal, Galtier may consider going with a back three of Sergio Ramos, Marquinhos and Presnel Kimpembe.

Having had no game since July 16, Katanosaka could be willing to name a similar team from their last outing.

With Kwon sustaining an injury during that fixture, Ryu Takao is an option on the right-hand side of the Gamba Osaka back three.

Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:

Rico; Ramos, Marquinhos, Kimpembe; Hakimi, Gueye, Vitinha, Mendes; Messi, Kalimuendo, Neymar

Gamba Osaka possible starting lineup:

Higashiguchi; Takao, Fukuoka, Miura; Onose, Dawhan, Saito, Kurokawa; Nakamura, Ishige; Suzuki

We say: Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 Gamba Osaka

While we are expecting Galtier to make a number of alterations, that should not influence the end result. Established players and emerging prospects will want to impress, leading us to predict a comfortable win for the French giants.

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