Paris Saint-Germain kicks off its UEFA Champions League campaign against Girona FC, a match they should win comfortably at home, but the rest of their League Phase matches get a lot more difficult.
The new Champions League format promises to provide plenty of surprise results. More teams are involved in the tournament, and for PSG they will face the most difficult stretch of matches of any other club. PSG will need some luck to get to the next round, similar to 1xBet lottery Satta Matka, but if they can navigate the most difficult matches, they should be in good shape.
PSG will play Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, Atletico Madrid at the Parc des Princes, FC Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena, and Manchester United at home. Those are the most difficult matches, but which one will give PSG the most trouble?
In my opinion, it doesn’t get any more difficult than playing Manchester City. They are odds on favorite to win the Champions League, they have a world-class manager, and their squad is deep, talented, and experienced.
Working in PSG’s favor is the fact that the match is in the French capital and will take place at the end of January, which should allow enough time for Lucas Hernandez to return from his knee injury.
PSG’s biggest weakness is its defense, and I fear that Erling Haaland will feast on a shaky center-back duo of Marquinhos and Willian Pacho. Both are solid players, but this is the first season the two have played together, and there will be growing pains along the way. A talented striker like Haaland is poised to take advantage.
In order to combat Haaland, PSG will try to maintain as much possession as possible. Vitinha, João Neves, and Warren Zaïre-Emery must be at the top of their game and dominate the midfield. If they misplace passes and lose possession, PSG’s defense will overrun with ease and it will be a long night for Les Parisiens.
Scoring early is a recipe for success for PSG, and along with the midfield, Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola must be at the top of their game as well. If the two Frenchman can put PSG up early, that could stretch Manchester City and open up space for players like Neves to create from the midfield.
If PSG can defeat Manchester City and grind out results throughout the League Phase, they should have no trouble advancing to the next stage of the tournament.