3 main talking point ahead of PSG's Champions League against Athletic Bilbao

Over the weekend, Paris Saint-Germain thrashed Stade Rennais 5-0 at the Parc des Princes and perfectly bounced back following a disappointing loss to Monaco in their previous league game. Matvey Safonov made his first appearance of the season while Lucas Chevalier was rested due to an injury and delivered an outstanding performance in the win.

Coming up, the European Champions will take on Athletic Bilbao at San Mamés on Wednesday in their sixth League Phase game of the Champions League and a win could help Paris to make a huge step towards a top-8 finish that would qualify them directly for the knockout stage of the competition.

Three key talking points ahead of Bilbao vs PSG

1. Matvey Safonov must start

Even though Lucas Chevalier will remain the number one goalkeeper of the club, Matvey Safonov superb performance against Rennes over the weekend put everyone on notice, as he reminded everyone how good he could be when called upon by Luis Enrique.

Chevalier sustained an ankle injury following an awful challenge in the loss against Monaco and was consequently rested against Rennes, therefore, he could be risky to start him on Wednesday against Bilbao when Safonov proved once again that he could be a great second option for PSG at this position.

The Russia international should be rewarded for his great performance over the weekend, which will certainly give him a great opportunity to showcase his talent as he could be eyeing a move over the winter transfer window.

2. Warren Zaire-Emery has proved to be the perfect replacement for Hakimi

Achraf Hakimi is a key player of this team as well as the only right-back of the squad. However, following his injury, Warren Zaire-Emery has stepped up to replace him with great success while the Moroccan recovers.

Throughout this period, the PSG Academy graduate has been playing out of position sporadically since season. Now, the young French international seems to be growing into this role as his performance against Rennes proved. Therefore, he could be the best option for Luis Enrique to replace Hakimi for an extended period of time, with the former Real Madrid player set to join Morocco for the upcoming AFCON on home soil.

3. Paris need to reiterate the same performance against Bilbao

Paris dominated Rennes over the weekend, thrashing Habib Beye's team at the Parc des Princes. Throughout this game, Luis Enrique's side managed to keep a clean sheet, thanks to Safonov's great performance, but also thanks to a solid defensive performance against an in-form side.

Moreover, the European Champions were lethal when going forward, predominantly in the second half. Kvaratskhelia certainly had his best game of the season while all the substitutes delivered top outings, including Ibrahim Mbaye and Gonçalo Ramos who finally found the back of the net after some difficult weeks.