Newcastle United and PSG icon David Ginola delivers ‘incredible’ verdict ahead of Champions League clash

David Ginola is relishing the ‘madness’ that will envelope St James Park when his former clubs Newcastle United and Paris Saint-Germain meet in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

Both clubs got their group stage campaigns of to positive starts two weeks ago as the Magpies battled their way to a goalless draw at Serie A giants AC Milan and PSG claimed a 2-0 home win against Borussia Dortmund thanks to second-half goals from Kylian Mbappe and Achraf Hakimi.

Ginola, who made 70 appearances during a two-year stay at Newcastle between 1995 and 1997, believes returning to the Champions League has brought ‘incredible joy’ to the St James Park faithful and is looking forward to seeing what Wednesday night’s meeting of his former clubs will bring.

“It was already madness when the club (Newcastle) validated its qualification for the Champions League,” he told French outlet Onze Mondial.

“It was an incredible joy because most people in Newcastle have never left this city. It is through football that they travel. It is a city that is changing but has never been very rich. The arrival of Paris is as if the Eiffel Tower was settling in St James’ Park!”

Despite the untold riches possessed by owners of both clubs, the Magpies hierarchy have adopted a different approach to their Parisian counterparts as they look to establish United are a consistent presence in European competitions over the coming years.

As PSG made lucrative moves for established stars such as Neymar and Lionel Messi, the Magpies have seeked to recruit players that can develop with the club by attracting the likes of Bruno Guimaraes, Sven Botman and Sandro Tonali to St James Park.

Ginola believes both of his old clubs have something to prove as he backed current PSG manager Luis Enrique to bring stability to the current Ligue 1 champions if he is given time to put his own stamp on the side he inherited earlier this summer.

He explained: “They (Newcastle) did not adopt the same strategy as PSG in 2011 when Qatar arrived. They have invested in a different way because they are not impatient to win the Champions League.

“You need to prove in time that what you are changing is something sustainable. Luis Enrique is a great choice for me. But it won’t be a very good choice over a year. We must leave, as in Guardiola, time.

“We must give a real chance to people who have a real vision. You can’t change coaches every year. It’s of the impossible. A group needs to have stability, to know each other, to work, to improve together and not in a dispersed way. ”