Paris Saint-Germain and Benfica are slugging it out to see who will eventually top UEFA Champions League Group H, and that means Juventus will be the odd man out.
Yes, the Italian giants look to set to miss out on the knockout round while PSG and Benfica are headed, almost certainly, to the round of 16. PSG’s easiest UCL group stage clash, at least on paper, will soon kick off as they welcome Maccabi Haifa on Tuesday night.
Paris Saint-Germain at Maccabi Haifa FYIs
Kick: Tue. Oct 25, 8pm, Parc des Princes
Competition: UCL Group H, Matchday 5 of 6
PSG Starting XI Prediction: go here
After Extra Time Pod: Spotify Apple Podcasts
Google Result Probability: PSG 89% Maccabi Haifa 3% Draw 8%
UCL Group Standings: PSG: 1st, 8 pts Maccabi Haifa 4th, 3 pts
PSG Team News
A pair of Les Parisiens, center back Sergio Ramos and high-flying forward Neymar, will both be back in action here, having finished serving suspensions in Ligue 1. (Ramos getting into trouble and having disciplinary action takes against him? Wow! who knew, right?) As for Neymar, well he actually inspired a Simpsons character IL Divo, so that says a lot right there.
Elsewhere, Marco Verratti has picked up three yellow cards already, in just four UCL matches no less, so he’s suspended for this one. Shifting from disciplinary action to injuries, Nuno Mendes is on the comeback trail, while Danilo Pereira remains out with a hamstring issue.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast, part of Edge of the Crowd Network. Follow him and the website on Twitter and Instagram.