When the UEFA Champions League knockout round pairings were announced back in mid-December, Paris Saint-Germain versus Manchester United looked like it was going to be rather lopsided in favor of the French powerhouse. What a difference a couple of months makes as this round of 16 clash now looks very evenly matched.
In fact, one could even argue that the outlook has now shifted all the way to the opposite side, in favor of United due to a.) the hot run of form they are currently on since Jose Mourinho was sacked and b.) all the big injuries to key players that PSG are dealing with.
Since assuming the temporary reigns at United, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has won 10 of his 11 games in charge. And the other match was a draw, not a loss. When he took over, the Red Devils were 11 points adrift of the top four. Now they have surpassed Chelsea for the fourth and final UCL qualification slot for next season.
Let’s take a look at United’s official UCL knockout round roster and then consider who Solskjaer might select in his effort to make it victories in 11 out of 12. It certainly helps that he was able to do some squad rotation yesterday.
The Bank MUFC Starting XI Prediction vs Paris Saint-Germain (4-3-3)
Attack: Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard
Midfielders: Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, Ander Herrera
Defenders: Luke Shaw, Victor Lindelof, Phil Jones, Ashley Young
Goalkeeper: David de Gea
Paris Saint-Germain at Manchester United UCL FYIs
Kickoff: Tuesday, February 12, 8pm, Old Trafford
Odds via Betfair: United 31/20, Draw 5/2, Paris Saint-Germain 17/10
Anthony Martial and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer News Conference Quotes, Video: go to this link
Injury Report for both sides: go to this link
Team news and notes: go to this link
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.