Group A
Napoli will travel to Amsterdam looking to maintain their perfect start against an Ajax side smarting from their late defeat against Liverpool. The Italians have arguably been the standout side in the competition so far and can take a giant leap towards qualification with a victory in the Dutch capital.
Elsewhere it will be a first ever meeting of Liverpool and Rangers at Anfield with both sides needing wins for different reasons. Liverpool will look to Europe to gain some form after stuttering in the league while Rangers are yet to get off the mark in their return to the top table.
Group B
Club Brugge have arguably been the biggest surprise package in the tournament so far and will look to claim another scalp when they host Atletico Madrid.
The Belgians have made a perfect start and another victory would open a big gap between themselves and third place in the group.
Porto will be aiming to get off the mark after two defeats in their first two games when they host Bayer Leverkusen. The Germans are struggling domestically but did defeat Atletico last time out so they’ll have some belief travelling to Portugal.
Group C
Bayern Munich have once more made an impressive start to a Champions League group stage and will get the action underway on Tuesday when they host Viktoria Plzen in the early kickoff.
The German champions defeated their two biggest group rivals in September and will be expecting to dispatch of their Czech visitors to maintain their lead in the group.
Inter Milan meanwhile will host Barcelona in what is the biggest game of the week.
Both sides came up short when facing Bayern and both defeated Plzen so they’ll view these two upcoming games as the key to deciding who will follow Julien Nagelsmann’s side into the last 16.
Group D
Sporting are another side who have impressed, taking six points in what looked the most open group on paper.
They travel to Marseille on Tuesday who desperately need a win if they are to stand any hope of reaching the next round. The French side have started well in the league but have struggled badly in Europe in recent years and will be desperate to give the home support something to cheer.
Tottenham will visit Eintracht Frankfurt in the other Group D clash looking to bounce back from their weekend defeat to bitter rivals Arsenal and take steps towards qualification. It will be far from easy against the Europa League winners who will also have their sights on the latter stages.
Group E
AC Milan head what has been a very tight and unpredictable Group E and will host Chelsea on Wednesday night with injuries to key players disrupting their preparation.
French pair Mike Maignan and Theo Hernandez will miss the clash against Graham Potter’s men who needs points themselves having stuttered in their opening two games.
Salzburg are unbeaten thus far but have also yet to win but a victory over Dinamo Zagreb at home would put them in good stead heading into the turn in the group. The Croatians will be aiming for another surprise victory having stunned Chelsea last month.
Group F
Holders Real Madrid have made a serene start to their title defence and host Shakhtar on Wednesday looking to maintain their 100% record.
The visitors have also made a good start to the group and look favourites to join their hosts in the next round.
Celtic will travel to Leipzig looking to build on their credible draw against Shakhtar last time out and will need to get something to keep their qualification hopes alive as will the bottom side from East Germany.
Group G
Erling Haaland has been in utterly sensational form this season with 17 goals so far and the visit of FC Copenhagen will offer the Norwegian another chance to add to his tally.
The Danes picked up a draw against Sevilla three weeks ago but will be up against a Manchester City side brimming with confidence after sticking six goals past their local rivals Manchester United.
Sevilla have made a terrible start in La Liga and need to get something at home to Borussia Dortmund to avoid being cut adrift in terms of qualification. Victory for the Germans will see them move five points clear of their hosts with just three games to play.
Group H
Benfica have been another surprise outfit this season, winning nine of ten games in all competitions and two 100% records will go head to head in this group when they host PSG.
The Lisbon side claimed a stunning victory away at Juventus last time out and even a point here at home to the French champions will boost their chances of repeating what they did last year when they knocked Barcelona out in the group stages.
Juventus will be looking to avoid the same fate as the Spaniards and nothing less than three points against Maccabi Haifa in Turin will do, with manager Max Allegri under all sorts of pressure.
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The Portuguese defender has impressed the club and fans since joining in the summer and is set to cost the Parisians £40 million.
At the beginning of the season, it was clear that the left-back position was an issue for PSG. Layvin Kurzawa was struggling to perform well while dealing with injuries and Juan Bernat missed the opening games with a ruptured cruciate ligament, meaning centre-back Abdou Diallo was filling in at full-back.
Mendes was signed on Deadline Day and got off to a relatively normal start at the club but soon cemented his place in the side. He started in his second appearance for Mauricio Pochettino’s side but was often rested in league games and played more minutes in the Champions League.
The 19-year-old has been preferred to Bernat in the more important Champions League games, starting in six of PSG’s seven games in Europe, due to both attacking and defensive prowess.
Mendes ranked in the 96th percentile for blocks, 89th percentile for pass completion and 80th percentile for dribbles completed when compared to full-backs in Europe’s top five leagues this season.
When compared to Bernat, Mendes has won the same amount of tackles this season but does it more frequently in the defensive third. He is more successful when pressuring opponents in all three-thirds of the pitch but has a slightly lower success rate when tackling players who are dribbling.
One of Mendes’ best performances this season came in PSG’s most recent Champions League fixture as they beat Real Madrid 1-0 thanks to Kylian Mbappe’s last-minute winner. Both Mendes and Mbappe started the game on the left side for the French giants and caused havoc to Madrid’s defence.
Defensively, Mendes accumulated five tackles, won nine of his 12 duels and cleared the ball once. He was only dribbled past twice despite facing the likes of Rodrygo and Gareth Bale, and most importantly, helped keep a clean sheet.
Although Mbappe’s attacking output was on a world-class level, Mendes also contributed to the forward-thinking of Pochettino’s team. He was successful in 100% of his dribble attempts, completed 86% of his passes and drew two fouls when advancing forward.
It is clear that Mendes is very comfortable moving up the pitch as his dribbling, passing, and more specifically, crossing ability is at a high level for someone of his age. Although he is still a few steps behind the best left-backs in the world, his statistics show that he is on the right path.
He creates 2.83 shot-creating actions per game compared to the 3.06 of Alphonso Davies and the 3.75 of Andrew Robertson. Mendes has fewer assists than the two other left-backs, although he has played fewer minutes, and the Portuguese international also has a lower percentage of shots that hit the target compared to the Bayern Munich and Liverpool defenders.
If the signing does become permanent, which seems very likely, Mendes is set to be an important part of PSG’s short-term and long-term ambitions.
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]]>All eyes will be on Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, and Neymar as PSG’s ‘Big Three’ will be expected to live up to the expectations of their fans.
The French forward is coming towards the end of his current contract at PSG and has been linked with a move to Real Madrid on a free deal in the summer. A move to Madrid seems inevitable for Mbappe as he grew up idolising Cristiano Ronaldo and learning about the impact of Zinedine Zidane.
When asked about a potential move to the Spanish capital by Amazon Prime, Mbappe said:
“Have I made a decision over my future? No.
“Playing against Real Madrid changes a lot of things. Although I have freedom to do what I want in this moment, I am not going to speak with a rival or do that type of thing.
“I am concentrating on winning against Real Madrid. And then we will see what happens.”
The 23-year-old has played against Madrid in the Champions League on three occasions already. When the sides met in the Last 16 during the 2017/18 season, Mbappe failed to score in both games but he scored against Los Blancos in the group stages two seasons later.
Mbappe played a pivotal role in getting PSG through the group stages this season. He scored four times and picked up four assists in the six group fixtures. He has also scored in back-to-back games ahead of the first leg.
After leaving Barcelona at the end of last season, Madrid fans would have hoped to wait a bit longer before having to face the prospect of Messi again. The Argentine is the all-time top scorer in El Classico history, scoring 26 goals against Real Madrid over the years. In 45 games against the opponents, he also assisted his teammates 14 times.
Despite his lengthy career at Barcelona, Messi only faced Madrid once in the Champions League beforehand. In the 2010/11 season, Messi’s two goals made the difference between the two sides as Barcelona beat their rivals 3-1 on aggregate.
One of the goals he scored became an iconic Champions League goal. Sergio Busquets laid the ball off to Messi around the halfway line and the winger dribbled past five Real Madrid players, including now teammate Sergio Ramos, before slotting the ball past Iker Casillas in goal.
Messi has scored five times in the competition this season and enters the game on good form, being directly involved in four goals in his last three games.
After the recent release of his documentary, Neymar: The Perfect Chaos, it is clear that Neymar is determined to win the Champions League at PSG.
The Brazilian’s time in Paris has been underwhelming despite the accolades he has achieved. He has struggled with injuries, often around the knockout rounds of the competition, and has failed to win the trophy that has eluded him since leaving Barcelona.
After wanting to leave the French capital, a move that never came to fruition, fans began to turn on Neymar and questioned his commitment to the club. This changed during the 2019/20 season. After the campaign was temporarily halted due to the Covid pandemic, the 30-year-old returned in brilliant physical condition. In his documentary, it showed the work he put in during the break, and club captain Marquinhos described how he was levels above everyone else at training when they prepared for the Champions League quarter-finals.
Neymar was influential in helping PSG progress to the final of the tournament that season before Bayern Munich took the spoils in Lisbon. The winger was visibly heartbroken at full-time but the addition of Messi, Ramos, and Nuno Mendes can help PSG achieve European glory this season.
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]]>Second half substitute Jesus capped off a brilliant attacking move to put the home side 2-1 ahead after 75 minutes.
Bernardo Silva gracefully knocked down Riyad Mahrez’s cross to the feet of the Brazilian who beat Keylor Navas from close range.
Pep Guardiola’s side did have to come from behind in the tie following a silky move from Lionel Messi. The Argentine forward found the feet of Mbappe who pounced on the opportunity and slotted the ball into the back of the net.
England forward Raheem Sterling was also in the position to hit the target just 12 minutes later to level the encounter.
Kyle Walker latched onto the end of a beautifully lofted ball from Rodri and squared it into the danger zone where Sterling was lurking to direct it home.
Following Manchester City’s 2-1 triumph, a delighted Pep Guardiola was pleased with his side’s performance.
“PSG, what a team, what players, what could I say. The performance was quite similar to Paris [away] a month ago.
“We created more chances in the first half. We played really well and always we had the sense that they could run in behind.”
City’s constant threat could’ve had the tie wrapped up much earlier if not for the defensive heroics of Presnel Kimpembe, who made a goal-line clearance to keep out Rodri’s header five minutes in.
Navas was also a saviour for the visitors as the experienced goalkeeper made a series of fine stops to deny Mahrez’s curling effort just after the half-hour mark.
At the other end, Mauricio Pochettino will be furious with the number of quality chances his side squandered through Idrissa Gueye, Angel Di Maria and Neymar.
The Brazilian, in particular, failed to hit the target on numerous occasions from good positions, including a golden chance moments before City’s winner which he rolled wide of Ederson’s goal.
With that 2-1 win, the Citizens qualify for the Champions League knockout stage as group winners. PSG also qualify after Club Brugge were heavily beaten 5-0 by Red Bull Leipzig, who leapfrog the Belgian club to claim third place in Group A.
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Theoretically, both teams can qualify on Wednesday night, however, they must rely on the struggling Red Bull Leipzig to take points from Club Brugge.
City sit top of the group with nine points from 12 with the star-studded PSG just a point behind them in second.
PSG’s front three of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe have all been included in Mauricio Pochettino’s travelling squad and could be the difference makers in Manchester.
Both sides come into this grudge Champions League fixture with a win in their last competitive fixtures.
The home side are fresh off a 3-0 win over Everton on Sunday with goals from Raheem Sterling, Rodri and Bernardo Silva securing the three points for Manchester City.
The latter has impressed in City’s bright start in the Premier League and has been on the scoresheet twice in his last two outings.
Phil Foden will also be key for the Citizens in Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish’s absence as they bid to qualify for the Champions League knockout stages.
For PSG, Messi netted his first Ligue 1 goal on Saturday as his late effort sealed the victory against Nantes to move his side 11 points clear at the summit of the league table. Mbappe was also on the scoresheet as he scored the game’s opener after two minutes before picking up an assist for the late winner.
Messi, who needs no introduction to Champions League nights, has shone in this competition on numerous occasions over the years. PSG’s number 30 has scored 27 goals in 35 games against English opposition with seven goals of those goals coming against the Citizens.
City manager Pep Guardiola discussed how to limit the threat of his former Barcelona star and six-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi.
“It’s so difficult! Sometimes when he has the ball he doesn’t know what he’s going to do, so imagine you have to know what he is going to do.
“There are players who you can say if they will go right or left. When he has the ball, not even he knows exactly what he is going to do. But it happens with Neymar, Mbappe, [Angel] Di Maria, it happens with all the players that play for this team.
“I am still glad and happy that he is still playing, at the level he plays and with the quality, so it will be nice to face him.”
PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino has been linked with the Manchester United job in the past few days after Ole Gunnar Solskjear’s departure. However, the Argentine is adamant that the speculation hasn’t disrupted his preparation for Wednesday’s game:
“I am focused on my football and I ignore the rumours. We are here [in Manchester] to play a great game tomorrow and we are focused on preparing for that as well as we can.”
“My contract with Paris is until June 2023. I’m very happy at PSG, that’s a fact. I am happy in Paris, I want to make it clear.”
It was PSG who came out on top of the latest meeting between the sides in September. Messi’s 20-yard wonder strike sealed the three points in Paris as he doubled the French side’s advantage after Idrissa Gueye’s early opener.
The two sides have only met five times in all competitions with City victorious on three encounters.
Unhappy memories lie in Manchester for PSG, as the last time they travelled to the Etihad, Riyad Mahrez’s brace saw the Citizens walk away 2-0 victors in the second leg of last season’s semi-final which booked their place in last season’s Champions League final.
Both sides have been finalists in this competition in the past two campaigns with PSG losing 1-0 to Bayern Munich in 2020 and City losing against Chelsea by the same scoreline in May.
City star Kevin De Bruyne is sidelined for Guardiola’s side as he tested positive for COVID-19 last Friday.
£100 million ace Jack Grealish is a doubt for the home side with a knock which forced him to miss the game against Everton on Sunday. Ferran Torres is also ruled out with a foot injury and won’t return to action until the New Year.
For the visitors, Julian Draxler is out with a hamstring injury, meanwhile, Brazilian midfielder Rafinha is absent with a hip injury.
Neymar returned to the side against Nantes following an adductor injury sustained whilst on international duty with Brazil and will be available for selection.
Fortunately, summer signing Sergio Ramos could be in line to make his debut after a calf injury ruled him out of action for much of this season. The four-time Champions League winner will hope to make his mark on the competition favourites’ campaign.
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After 21 years at a club he joined as a 13-year-old in Barcelona’s La Masia academy, Messi departs as a Barcelona legend.
The Argentine departs as their record goalscorer and appearance holder, a six-time Ballon D’or winner whilst claiming 45 trophies in the blaugrana colours.
His long-lasting comparisons with Cristiano Ronaldo are expected to be elevated to new levels now the pair have both swapped La Liga for other top European leagues. The Italian top-flight remains home for Ronaldo with Juventus with Messi expected to arrive in France’s Ligue 1.
The competitiveness between the pair has been one of the burning debates in football and sporting history. Their rivalry is comparable to Muhammed Ali vs Joe Frazier, Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal and Magic Johnson vs Larry Bird.
The pair combined have 11 Ballon D’ors, 1357 goals, 66 major honours and ten Golden Boots. Football fans all over the world have always asked the question, ‘Ronaldo or Messi?’
The two players are undoubtedly the best in the world, but they are polar opposites. Ronaldo is a swagger-filled player. He performs the flashiest skill moves with the most dazzling boots on his feet, towering over players with his height and an Adonis-like figure, making him a marketer’s dream and dedicating himself religiously every day to be the best player on the pitch.
Messi, on the other hand, is a player and person who quietly goes about his business; you rarely see him on the front pages of the newspaper. On the pitch he uses his small height and lean stature to get out of tight spaces and create chances, he relies less on prowess and more on natural ability and his mastery of playing simple football.
Their comparisons can be used on a multitude of angles; introvert versus extrovert, David versus Goliath, humble team player versus vain individualist shown by the embodiment of their rival clubs, Real Madrid and Barcelona. Two teams with very different ways of operating with Ronaldo and Messi being the personification of their respective clubs, and the two would have to each other twice every season in the biggest game of the year, El Clasico.
Madrid’s Galactico model works by paying an exceptional amount of money for the biggest and most marketable names in world football. David Beckham, Kaka, Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo (the Brazilian one) are just a few examples of Madrid’s investments.
Cristiano Ronaldo was the superstar Galactico signing for Real Madrid in 2009, with Los Blancos paying a then-record fee of £80 million to Manchester United for his services and 80,000 fans attending his presentation introducing him as a Real Madrid player. Madrid’s model has proved successful, with Ronaldo winning three Champions Leagues in a row in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Barcelona’s La Masia model is different; they aim to promote youth players without paying hefty transfer fees. Their model is to develop their talent rather than invest in talent. Players to graduate from this system include Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Carles Puyol, Cesc Fabregas and Pedro. But Messi has been the most successful graduate and follows the Barcelona model, not seeing himself as the best. Still just a part of the Barcelona team, embodying the La Masia way by using close control, keeping the ball in tight spaces and dragging the opposition out of position to create space.
The system had seen Barcelona become arguably the greatest team of all time when they won the treble in 2011. In the Champions League final, the starting eleven saw seven graduates from the academy start, four other graduates making the sub’s bench and the team led by a former La Masia graduate, Pep Guardiola. The current Manchester City manager’s methods stemmed from the Barcelona culture of close control and quick passing with the media dubbing it ‘Tiki-Taka’ football.
Their rivalry stems beyond just football and is more like a Shakespearean tragedy of rich vs poor. Real Madrid being the rich boys club buying everything they need to be successful, compared to Barcelona making the most of what they have at their disposal.
Their polar opposite rivalry will naturally get people to make comparisons of Messi or Ronaldo. Fans online have become synonymous with trying to score points off each other by citing player stats or personal and team accolades in an attempt to leverage their favourite of the superstar upon the highest perch.
Two of the most common arguments against Messi are that he hadn’t won anything for Argentina and hasn’t proved himself in a league other than La Liga.
Ronaldo won the European Championships for Portugal in 2016, making him more successful than Messi at international level. However, after five years, Messi has recently proved those doubters wrong by winning the 2021 Copa America against Brazil, proving to many people who doubted him that he could win a trophy on the international stage.
Now the record Ballon D’or winner is set to answer another question as he edges ever closer to his impending arrival at French giants Paris Saint-Germain.
Messi would be competing in a league and territory we’ve never seen him in before and reunite with his old Barcelona teammate Neymar with whom he formed a remarkable trio alongside Luis Suarez. The three men led the line for Barcelona from 2014-2017 and became known as ‘MSN’, an abbreviation for their names. In their three seasons together, the threesome found the back of the net 364 times and assisted each other 173 times as Barcelona dominated Europe and La Liga.
Neymar ended the trio’s tenure when he left Barcelona for PSG in 2017 after PSG triggered his release clause of €222million. Neymar’s reasoning for leaving Barcelona was to become the team’s star and escape Messi’s shadow. Despite this, Neymar has welcomed Messi at PSG, even offering him his number 10 shirt, but Messi has reportedly declined his offer.
The latest question is about to be answered on whether Messi can perform in a new league as he swaps La Liga for Ligue 1 and Barcelona for PSG. Ronaldo has won league titles in England, Spain and now Italy. Ronaldo told Gazetta dello Sport in 2018 that he wished Messi would take up a new challenge outside Barcelona: “I’ve played in England, Spain, Italy, Portugal and for my national team, while he’s still in Spain. I’d love him to come over to Italy one day. I hope he accepts the challenge like me, but if he’s happy there {Barcelona} then I respect that.”
Although Messi hasn’t followed Ronaldo completely and gone to Serie A, the former Real Madrid man and many other football fans across the world have got their wish to see if Messi can live up to the challenge away from Spain.
These two football greats have dominated the top level of the game for the past ten years, and we are going to see Messi in an unfamiliar environment to his natural habitat of Barcelona, an event which seemed impossible only a few days ago. Messi has been brought out of his Barcelona shell and will undergo a new challenge in Ligue 1, and PSG will be taking a huge step in the right direction on route to winning the Champions League for the first time in their history.
What Ronaldo and Messi epitomise is that everyone can be successful playing football, whether you’re the smallest, work the hardest, the quietest, play simple or play expansively. The levels of performance they’ve produced prove it works from both perspectives, and it is fascinating to watch.
Whilst both players are ageing and progressing more towards the end of their careers than their prime, the rivalry between them will never seize to fascinate.
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Kean has already expressed his desire to stay in the French capital, and with Everton willing to allow the forward to leave, a second season at PSG looks to be on the cards.
When the Toffees signed Kean in 2019 from Juventus for an initial fee of £25m, his wonder-kid persona brought optimism to Goodison Park.
However, his time on Merseyside didn’t plan out the way Evertonians were hoping for or expected.
The Italian struggled for goals and in 37 games for the club, he only managed four with two coming in the Premier League and two in the Carabao Cup against Salford City and Fleetwood Town.
The arrival of Carlo Ancelotti in December 2019, brought restricted game time for Kean who since only started four Premier League matches.
A lack of minutes and goals saw Ancelotti loaning Kean for the remainder of the campaign with PSG his destination.
The 21-year old’s PSG chapter was completely different to his Everton one as he frequently played and scored goals. Only Kylian Mbappe managed to score more goals (26) for the French side.
Playing alongside Neymar, Mbappe and Angel Di Maria, Kean netted 17 times in 40 appearances. He scored 13 Ligue 1 goals and three in the Champions League which included an important header against Barcelona.
Despite Mauricio Pochettino’s side failing to defend their Ligue 1 title which Lille claimed by a point, Kean did enjoy silverware.
The striker’s penalty shootout winner sent the Parisians to the Coupe de France final which they defended successfully following a 2-0 victory over Monaco as Kean featured for 10 minutes.
Following PSG’s final home game of the season, Kean posted on his official Instagram account:
“Happy to score in the last game at Parc des Princes, Hope to see you next season!”
With Kean’s intentions clear, the same can also be said for his Everton manager who has made it clear he does not want to keep unhappy players at Goodison Park. Ancelloti said:
“If he wants to stay at Paris Saint-Germain, the only way is to find a deal with PSG.
“I don’t want players who are unhappy and if there are some players who are not happy, they can leave no problem at all. I want players that are happy, want to stay and feel part of this project.”
With no option to buy clause in the deal, it is now left to the two clubs to agree on a fee for the Italian international.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Everton are willing to enter negotiations with PSG and already know the price they will demand to let Kean go. In his own podcast, Here We Go, Romano revealed:
“PSG want to keep Moise Kean, and Moise Kean wants to stay.
“The negotiations with Everton are not easy about the fee. Everton are 100% open to negotiate and find an agreement, but they want around €45-50.”
According to L’Equipe, PSG are hoping to lower the price with €25-30m being more in their range.
The transfer window in England and France opens on June 9th, but with Kean already named in Italy’s provisional 33-man Euro 2020 squad, a deal may not be completed till the conclusion of the tournament.
What looks likely, is Moise Kean will not be an Everton player come the 2021/22 season.
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]]>Five goals were scored at the death in Paris with Mauro Icardi’s 94th-minute winner grabbing the three points for PSG. Although the Parisians are still favourites to win the league with five games to go, they face tough competition from their three opponents.
Lille currently sit at the top of the table on 70 points and one point ahead of PSG. Unlike their rivals, the leaders have been great defensively compared to going forward. Their centre-back partnership has been one of the most surprising successes of Europe this season as 37-year-old Jose Fonte partners promising talent Sven Botman, who is 21-years-old.
Along with goalkeeper Mike Maignan, Fonte and Botman have helped Lille 18 clean sheets this season and only conceded 20 goals, which is fewer than any other team in the league.
Lille also have the best away record in the league and three of their final five are away from home, including a huge game at Lyon this weekend. The club has not won the Ligue 1 title since the 2010/11 season when they were captained by Rudi Garcia, who currently manages Lyon.
We all know the quality PSG possesses. Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Angel Di Maria, and Julian Draxler, to just name some of the attackers. They have won the last three Ligue 1 titles and manager Mauricio Pochettino will be hoping to win his first league title.
PSG are also the top-scoring team in the competition with 74 goals and Mbappe is currently the leading scorer with 23 goals. Captain Marquinhos has also helped reinforce the defence as he has improved his game over the last 12 months.
Although PSG does not face any of their direct league rivals in their remaining fixtures, they are still participating in both the Coupe de France and the Champions League. This could lead to Pochettino prioritising games rather than focusing solely on the league.
Monaco’s 2021 has helped secure their place in the title race as they have only lost one game this year and went on a seven-game winning streak in January. The side has been led by the attacking contributions of Wissam Ben Yedder and Kevin Volland who both have 22 direct goals or assists in the league this season.
Young defender Benoit Badiashile has made headlines this season as the 20-year-old surpassed 50 appearances for Monaco this year and received interest from teams such as Manchester United.
Monaco are currently two points off Lille and have not won the league since their famous 2016/17 season with a team that featured the likes of Mbappe, Bernardo Silva, and Fabinho.
Last season’s Champions League semi-finalists are currently fourth in Ligue 1, three points off the top. Lyon arguably have the hardest run-in as they face Lille and Monaco in back-to-back games, which could seal their fate for the season.
Memphis Depay has brilliantly led the side and has also contributed with 18 goals and nine assists. His brace against Nantes in their most recent game was vital as they won consecutive league games for the first time since February.
Lyon are still in the Coupe de France, where they face Monaco in the quarter-finals. They have not won the cup since 2012 and the league since 2008 when they won seven consecutive Ligue 1 titles from 2002-2008.
Although all four of these clubs have a great chance of winning the league title, the team that finishes fourth faces a bigger loss than the other three, apart from the most obvious reason of finishing the lowest.
In Ligue 1, only the top three clubs qualify for the Champions League and the team in fourth goes into the Europa League. This gives an added incentive for the clubs to go hard in the last five games as they have not secured qualification for the Champions League.
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]]>After former PSG attacker Maxim Choupo-Moting’s effort rattled the woodwork early on, the French side launched a swift counterattack as Kylian Mbappe found himself in shooting range. The 22-year-old’s shot went under Manuel Neuer and the ball rolled into the back of the Bayern Munich net with just three minutes on the clock.
PSG doubled their lead after 27 minutes as Neymar played a delightful ball over the Bayern defence – which in the early stages looked nervous and so out of character. Marquinhos was left wide open in the Munich penalty area and had the easy job of slotting it home past the hapless Neuer.
Just before half-time, Choupo-Moting got one back for Bayern as he latched onto the end of Benjamin Pavard’s pinpoint cross.
In the second period, the Bayern bombardment continued and seconds before the hour mark Thomas Muller was left in acres of space to nod home Joshua Kimmich’s deep free-kick for the equaliser.
A matter of moments later, Paris were on another counterattack and Bayern failed to clear the danger. After a quick fake shot, Mbappe beat Jerome Boateng and placed the ball into Manuel Neuer’s bottom left corner.
Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Keylor Navas was the star of the show. The Costa Rica International made a series of world-class saves including a fantastic stop denying Leon Goretzka from six yards out.
Bayern Munich will be furious that they let so many chances go to waste. The German outfit had 31 shots over the course of the game, and had Robert Lewandowski been available for selection could we have seen a different outcome?
In the early stages of the game, Bayern looked uncomfortable but after two tactical substitutions in the first half where Boateng and Alphonso Davies were introduced, Bayern looked more composed under pressure.
If Bayern Munich are to stand any chance of advancing in the competition, they need to be more clinical in attack as too many good chances went flying into the empty stands.
PSG on the other hand had a game plan to soak up the pressure and use the frightening pace of Mbappe, Neymar, Julian Draxler and Di Maria to counterattack and it was executed impeccably.
The game ended 3-2 to the away side who take the aggregate advantage into next week’s second leg as well as three crucial away goals.
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(Featured Image: Sönke Biehl / Flickr Images)
]]>The all-time head-to-head record between Bayern Munich and PSG is extremely close, with the Parisian’s only just ahead by five wins to Bayern’s four.
Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain faced off last August in the Final of this very competition. The German outfit came out on top in Lisbon after a well-placed header from former-PSG winger Kingsley Coman as well as a superhuman goalkeeping display from Manuel Neuer secured Bayern’s sixth Champions League title.
In each team’s respective leagues, Bayern Munich are in outstanding form winning five of their last five league games. The most recent win being a crucial 1-0 win against title rivals RB Leipzig on Saturday.
A powerful shot from midfield general Leon Goretzka from ten yards out was the difference in Leipzig which moved Hans-Dieter Flick’s side seven points clear at the top of the Bundesliga table with seven games to go.
Paris Saint-Germain have won just two of their last five games in all competitions. Their latest game coming against LOSC Lille which ended in a 1-0 defeat. A goal from Jonathan David, which deflected off Thilo Kehrer over Keylor Navas’ outstretched arms, helped Lille leap-frog PSG to the summit of the Ligue 1 table.
The game also saw Neymar dismissed in the late stages of the game after he pushed over Tiago Djalo. The red mist descended on the hot-headed Brazilian as he retaliated to a series of challenges, and will now miss PSG’s next league fixture against Strasbourg, however is available for selection in Munich on Wednesday as domestic suspensions do not carry over into the European competition.
In Robert Lewandowski’s absence, Bayern could struggle for firepower in attack, with the Pole scoring 42 goals in all club competitions so far this season, however, Saturday’s win proved that Bayern can win without him.
This could give a player like Thomas Muller the chance to shine. The German has clocked up 13 goals and 16 assists in all club competitions for Bayern and the competition holders will be relying on two strong performances from the 31-year-old throughout the two legs of the Quarter-Finals if they are to stand any chance of advancing against the potent PSG.
For their French opposition, wonderkid Kylian Mbappe offers lightning pace, power, and incredible finishing. The versatile attacker has netted 30 goals in all club competitions as well as nine assists and will be hoping to go one better in the Champions League this year after last year’s heartbreaking defeat in the Final.
A game that has been a fierce occasion in recent years, and with PSG wanting revenge after last year’s final by dumping Bayern out of this year’s tournament, this tie ticks every box to be a fantastic spectacle across the two legs.
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