(Update: Lionel Messi is back in training, and in contention to start tomorrow night)
At the fourth attempt, Pep Guardiola and Manchester City were finally able to beat Chelsea under Thomas Tuchel. Now they have another tough challenge waiting for them in France as they play the powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain in Champions League group stage play.
In a repeat of last season’s Champions League semi-final, City will go there knowing what it takes to beat the hosts. But this time the French champions may have the presence of the mighty Lionel Messi, someone who Pep Guardiola will know very well.
Paris Saint-Germain vs Manchester City FYIs:
Kick-off time: 8 PM GMT, 28 September Tuesday
Starting XI Prediction: Paris Saint-Germain Manchester City
Team News: Paris Saint-Germain Manchester City
Form Guide (All Competitions): Paris Saint-Germain (WDWWW) Manchester City (WWDWW)
The big doubt for this game (other than Messi obviously) is the availability of Ilkay Gundogan. The German was not part of the matchday squad against Chelsea, and it remains to be seen if the midfielder will be available for this game.
If City have to do without him, it will rob them of a lot of their midfield quality.
One player who could be a part of the starting XI is Englishman John Stones, who at least found himself on the bench at Stamford Bridge. The centre-back has not yet played this season and would be a welcome addition to the City team.
For the visitors to win, they need to nullify the PSG attack and that is not going to be easy given the presence of Messi (if he plays) along with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. But as they showed against Chelsea, City have the ability to weather strong oppositing attacks.
There will be some interesting tactical decisions that Guardiola will have to make for this match with regards to the attack. Having the likes of Raheem Sterling and Jack Grealish will help them hurt the hosts’ back line.
But as we saw against RB Leipzig, the Citizens can also concede goals and that should worry the manager.
Overall, Manchester City will be confident of their chances against PSG, given how well they have been playing recently. Getting an away win here will not be easy, but this game is an opportunity to create a gap between City and the other teams in the group.