Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique is anticipating stiff competition for the Ligue 1 title this season despite his team being considered favourites to successfully defend their crown.
Les Parisiens were absolutely dominant in the French top flight last season. They wrapped up the Ligue 1 title with six games to spare and finished well clear of second placed Olympique Marseille courtesy of a whooping 19 points gap.
Their dominance extended beyond Ligue 1 and into domestic as well as European Cup competitions. Enrique’s men clinched their 16th Coupe de France title before going on to win their first ever UEFA Champions League crown in spectacular fashion.
More recently, the French champions made amends for their 3-0 Club World Cup final defeat to Chelsea by beating another London club, Tottenham to win the UEFA Super Cup, another first for the club.
With the 2025/2026 Ligue 1 season kicking off on Friday, August 15, many consider Paris Saint-Germain as overwhelming favourites to retain the title. However, Enrique sees things differently.
“Last year the championship was like this because we were at a very good level,” the PSG boss said.
“This is not ‘normal’. For this season, I can’t know what will happen. But we want this Championship. It will be close. For us it was difficult [last year]. We’re happy to start.
“To continue to make history was the first goal of the first day when I arrived. At the moment, we’re doing it but it’s very difficult to see a team win the Champions League twice.
“That’s our goal. We are very ambitious. We know it’s going to be difficult, but it’s normal to have that mentality. It will depend on us, on our level. It’s a very fun goal.”
PSG kickstart their Ligue 1 title defense with a trip to FC Nantes and they’ll be looking to get off to a winning start.
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