On Tuesday evening, Paris Saint-Germain welcomes Newcastle United F.C. to the Parc des Princes with revenge on their minds.
Earlier in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, Newcastle humbled PSG at St. James’ Park and ran them off the pitch to the tune of a 4-1 defeat.
Group F, dubbed the “Group of Death,” is about as close as it gets. Newcastle finds themselves in last place but only three points out of first place. PSG, following a loss to AC Milan, sit in second place, just a point behind Dortmund for the lead.
All this to say, the clash at the Parc is about as big as it gets for both PSG and Newcastle. With so much on the line, I asked Ash from NUFC News to share his match prediction, expectations for the group, which PSG player he would want at Newcastle, and where he thinks Mbappé will play next season.
What has changed for Newcastle since the 4-1 win over PSG? What type of form is the club in heading into the return match?
Since that win, we’ve picked up an entire team’s worth of injuries, but somehow our form hasn’t suffered much. We’ve still picked up some key wins, beating Chelsea 4-1 on Saturday being one of them. Our form is good, but we have so few players available.
Newcastle is currently in last place in the group, but only 3 points out of first. What are the expectations of the Newcastle fans with two matches left?
Our expectations haven’t really changed since the groups were announced, and that is to give a good account of ourselves. Getting through the group stages would be amazing, but I don’t think any fan would be too disappointed if we weren’t to make it out of the group, especially with all of the injuries we have.
What do you think of PSG’s current squad and apparent change in philosophy that is more in line with what Newcastle has done since new ownership came in?
I think most clubs would be envious of the wealth of talent at PSG’s disposal, but at the same time, from the outside looking in, it feels like there are a lot of individuals who don’t really make up a team. However, that does seem to be coming together more lately, with the likes of Zaire-Emery coming through. A focus on homegrown talent and not superstars can only be a good thing.
Most football fans hate PSG. Are Newcastle fans the same way?
I don’t think so, not that I’ve experienced. I personally don’t mind PSG. You gave us David Ginola and Laurent Robert, so you’ll always be good in my book.
Newcastle can have one PSG player not named Mbappé, who are you taking?
Hugo Ekitike… JOKES! Gonçalo Ramos would come in very handy for us right now. I was hoping we’d sign him before he chose PSG.
Where do you think Kylian Mbappé will be playing next season?
With his outrageous wage demands, if he’s not still playing at PSG he’s only really got Real Madrid or the Saudi Pro League who could afford him, and I’m not even sure Real Madrid could manage it right now.
What is your score prediction?
I’ve got a bad feeling about this one… PSG 2-1 Newcastle
