Paris Saint-Germain will begin their season against Rennes on Sunday, August 23, at Roazhon Park instead of the Parc des Princes, after successive heatwaves severely damaged the Parisian stadium’s pitch.
“The current condition of the pitch does not allow us to ensure the safety of the players. Meeting on August 19, the competitions committee therefore decided that the match could not be held at the Parc des Princes. After noting that Paris Saint-Germain was unable to organize the match at an alternative venue, the committee received guarantees from Stade Rennais that it could host the first-day fixture this Sunday, August 23, at 8:45 p.m.,” the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) said in a statement.
“The competitions committee has therefore decided to reverse the order of the fixture,” the LFP added.
According to PSG, “the latest heatwave, which followed successive and exceptional periods of hot weather that affected the Paris region this summer, has significantly accelerated the deterioration of the Parc des Princes pitch, which is now particularly damaged.”
In its statement, the two-time European champions added that their “teams have already identified a solution to replace the Parc des Princes pitch ahead of the upcoming matches, starting with the visit of AS Monaco on September 4” in the third round of Ligue 1.
As a result of the change, PSG will host Rennes in the return fixture during the weekend of March 6.
For the trip to Brittany, PSG will be without Portuguese defender Nuno Mendes, who was suspended for three matches after being sent off late in the Trophée des Champions final, which the Paris club lost 1-0 to Lens on Sunday.
The Paris club, which will then travel to Lille on Friday, August 28, has already played two competitive matches away from home at the start of the season: the Trophée des Champions and, four days earlier, the UEFA Super Cup, which it won 2-1 against Aston Villa in Salzburg, Austria.
