If Paris Saint-Germain really are major players on the European stage once again, then a first Champions League match in almost a decade, at home to Dynamo Kiev, is the perfect chance to prove it to the rest of the continent.
This is why Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) took over PSG in the first place. Missing out on the Ligue 1 title last season to Montpellier was a blow, but their second-place finish gave them the automatic Champions League berth that was central to their plans for the club.
Owner Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani will have his sights set on winning the trophy in the not too distant future.
For now, Carlo Ancelotti's side are at least expected to make an impression. Their huge summer outlay on players such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva requires them to do that.
And so does a group-stage draw which saw them avoid any of the tournament favourites. PSG will face Portuguese champions FC Porto as well as Croatia's Dinamo Zagreb and their first opponents, Dynamo Kiev. There will be pressure on the club to get off to a winning start when they welcome the Ukrainians to the Parc des Princes.
"We're beginning to see the real Paris Saint-Germain," warned captain Christophe Jallet. "We're putting a run of results together, and teams will start to fear us a bit more now."
