Paris Saint-Germain travel to England looking to salvage their Champions League campaign when they play Manchester City on Tuesday. Let’s look at how will Mauricio Pochettino set his team up for the second leg.
After looking dominant for most of the game, PSG was shocked to end up on the losing side in the first leg. Both the goals landed a hammer blow to the French club’s chances of making it to a consecutive UCL final.
Paris Saint-Germain at Manchester City UCL Semifinals FYIs
Tie: Leg 2/2, City leads 2-1 on aggregate
Kickoff: Tue May 4, 8pm, Etihad Stadium
Team News: Paris Saint-Germain Manchester City
Starting XI Predictions: Paris Saint-Germain Manchester City
Odds: Paris Saint-Germain +360 Draw +330 Manchester City -155
The Parisians are also locked in the middle of an exciting battle for the Ligue 1 title and have been keeping pace with leaders Lille. With a win over Lens at the weekend giving them some momentum, PSG will enter this contest with good confidence and high morale.
Pochettino will stick with the 4-2-3-1 formation that has worked well for him. Keylor Navas will take his place in goal and there will be a couple of changes in defence.
Abdou Diallo and Colin Dagba are going to be on the bench on Tuesday. In their place, it will be Alessandro Florenzi and Mitchell Bakker starting as the full backs.
The centre of defence will consist of Marquinhos and Presnel Kimpembe.
With Idrissa Gueye suspended for the second leg, the boss has to rethink the midfield combination. Marco Verratti will be starting for sure, and his partner will be the Spaniard Ander Herrera. Having the former Manchester United player gives PSG a little more defensive protection.
And as for the attack, there is a major doubt over the availability of Kylian Mbappe. If the Frenchman doesn’t play, it would mean that Neymar shifts to left wing.
This will give Leandro Paredes a chance to play in a more central role.
Angel Di Maria will round off the attacking trio on the right wing. The primary counterattacking threat will come from the two wingers,
Mauro Icardi will start upfront and his physical presence during set pieces could prove to be invaluable.
There is a lot to be done for the Parisians to get a win, but if they can keep going at Manchester City, they will get chances to score. That’s how you beat them, you have to get right at them without concern or worry. If there are no lapses in concentration, Pochettino can overturn this tie and start planning for another Champions League final.
Predicted PSG Starting XI Against Manchester City (4-2-3-1):
Keylor Navas, Alessandro Florenzi, Marquinhos, Presnel Kimpembe, Mitchell Bakker, Ander Hererra, Marco Verratti, Angel Di Maria, Leandro Paredes, Neymar, Mauro Icardi