Paris Saint-Germain will head to St. James’ Park for Wednesday’s Matchday 2 UEFA Champions League contest. The Parisians eye taking a stranglehold on Group F after a Matchday 1 win over Borussia Dortmund.
The capital club will look to spoil the party as it’s the first Champions League in St. James’ Park in 20 years. The fanbase is excited, and so are the players on the team. Midfielder Sean Longstaff explained how enthusiastic he is ahead of the match against PSG.
“For a night time game, under the lights, it’s a special place,” Longstaff said. “I can’t wait it’s going to be like the semi-final last year – but on steroids!! Even walking around, I was speaking to Barts, the goalie coach and I just said ‘This place is going to be absolutely bouncing.’ I can’t wait for it!
“It’s funny because if we go away and play in an atmosphere then it sometimes sends your mind everywhere when there is so much going on, and it can be tough. When teams come here I’d say it’s like that times 10.
“Whatever we feel when we go away I imagine other teams are feeling a lot worse when they come here. You feel smothered. Like you saw on Wednesday when we got after City and the crowd responded it works both ways. If we feed them, they create an atmosphere and we kick on again. When it’s bouncing there is nowhere better to play.”
Sean Longstaff on facing PSG:
"For a night time game, under the lights, it’s a special place. I can’t wait it’s going to be like the semi-final last year – but on steroids!! Even walking around, I was speaking to Barts, the goalie coach and I just said ‘This place is going to be… pic.twitter.com/fbevTm5gfv
— Magpie 24/7 (@Magpie24_7) October 2, 2023
PSG will have to deal with the crowd and might not have a fully 100 percent Kylian Mbappé for the match, per a report from L’Equipe. It will be interesting to see if manager Luis Enrique and Co. can take advantage of being on the road and all the hoopla surrounding this match from a Newcastle perspective.
Nonetheless, it will be an exciting matchup in a hostile environment. Can the French giants respond? It will be interesting to find out.
