Paris Saint-Germain begin their Ligue 1 title defence away to Rennes on Saturday, and head coach Luis Enrique has set his sights on even greater achievements across the 2026-27 campaign.

The Parisians have already collected one piece of silverware this term, downing Aston Villa 2-1 to lift the Super Cup for a second successive year, before losing the Trophee des Champions to Lens. That came after a season in which they retained both their Ligue 1 and Champions League crowns, though they were pushed hard by Lens in the French top flight.

PSG remain the overwhelming favourites to finish top of the table once again, yet back from 2025-26 has tempered expectations. Luis Enrique is adamant that there is still room for improvement.

"I don't know what the current level is; it's difficult with the first league matches," Luis Enrique said in his press conference. "What I've seen this week in training will improve the level compared to last year. There will be players left out of the matchday squad, which is very unfair.

"We're looking to have a few more options. The players have to accept it as best they can. We are looking to improve our training, every behaviour, every action. We have a different profile.

"Right now, we are winning the most important trophies, which gives a lot of motivation to the other teams. We have to be careful of provocations from our opponents. It's a great challenge for us; the team can still improve."

Ground swap fails to derail preparations

PSG had been due to open their 2026-27 campaign on home soil, but the recent heatwaves have left the turf at the Parc des Princes deemed not good enough. As a result, the fixture has been relocated to Rennes' Roazhon Park, with PSG now pushing to ensure the return match in March is switched back to their own ground.

The head coach, though, insists the late change has had no impact on their preparation.

"As usual. For us, it doesn't change the way we prepare for the match; we do the same thing whether it's at home or away," he added. "It's true that it's different, but we have to adapt."

Rennes finished sixth last season, racking up 59 points in a strong campaign to secure their place in the Europa League.

Players to watch

Rennes - Adrien Thomasson: The midfielder could make his Ligue 1 debut for Rennes in a match that would represent his 13th consecutive top-flight campaign. Only Marquinhos (14 with PSG), Anthony Lopes (15) and Benjamin Andre (16) are on a longer ongoing run of at least one match per season.

Paris Saint-Germain - Lucas Digne: Lucas Digne could make his 31st Ligue 1 appearance for PSG, his first since May 2015. He has 394 appearances across the European top five leagues, the third-most among current defenders in those divisions behind Lorenzo De Silvestri (462) and Matthias Ginter (412).

Match prediction and Opta probability

Rennes have defeated PSG more often than any other Ligue 1 side in the 21st century (W17 D9 L23), yet PSG have won nine of their last 11 opening-day fixtures, the exceptions being a 0-1 defeat at Lens in 2020 and a 0-0 draw with Lorient in 2023. PSG have also scored in each of their last 50 home matches in the division, though this game takes place away from the Parc des Princes.

Rennes, on the other hand, have won their last three season-openeers after winning only one of their previous nine, and will begin a Ligue 1 campaign away from home for the first time since 2020-21, when they drew 1-1 at Lille.

Opta's supercomputer make it a fairly straightforward call, giving PSG a 59.5% win probability, against 21.4% for a draw and 19.1% for a home victory.