Champions League Semi-Final Draw | Paris Saint-Germain

[SWP's back]

There are so many reasons for PSG and their fans to be optimistic.

Where to start?

- Verratti, Navas, Diallo and Marquinhos should all be back on the training ground by the end of the week
- MBappé was rested today
- Neymar played and was unscathed despite some rough treatment
- Everybody will be fit next week
- They play mid-table Metz on Sat'day.

Now City, OTOH,
- have a cup final this weekend
- KDB is injured
- Sterling's in the doldrums
- No Lewandowski-type no 9
- Stones vs. MBappé...
- Played the weakest opponent in the last 16
- Struggled for three halves vs. the team ranked 5th in Germany
- Lost recently vs. Leeds & Chelsea, failing to create many chances
- Pep's overthinking
- Recent history vs. French clubs (Monaco, Lyon)

If you add PSG's successful counter-attacking style of play vs. possession teams (see Bayern in the previous round), PSG definitely have the edge.

First post and that’s what you manage. Tut.

 

[Great Kompany]

Is it me being naive in thinking we would prefer Madrid in the final if we manage to get past PSG and Madrid against the rent boys.
UEFA wouldn't want Madrid to win the CL after Perez's public backstabbing and hell Ceferin seems to love us now :P

Or in a very real sense Nasir could just snap his fingers as the chairman of ECA and we get thumped by PSG with 4 red cards and 8 away goals.
And Chelsea get the privilege to beat Madrid as an award for the first club to pull out of ESL :P

 

[Raul Butembois]

PSG - Not even winning a one horse race at present, in which they have lost 8 games. Might not even make CL next year. Lot of players coming back from injury might not be 100% fit. Lucky to get through the QFs against a weakened Bayern.

City - KDB might well be fit but even if not, I'd say our form this season has been better without him. Sterling won't be in the starting line up anyway. We do better without a traditional number 9. Stones has been one of our stand out performers, he'll have a tough task but is up to it. I'd say Porto were the weakest opponent in the QFs. Didn't really struggle for 3 halves at all, we were the better team in both legs. Played considerably weakened teams against both Chelsea and Leeds - first team keeps on winning. Not sure what recent history against completely different teams has to do with anything.

It won't be easy but I'd give us the edge. We're the better all round team. If we're on form, I can see us going through.

PSG - true, we are not ruling then league as we usually do but the players didn’t stop since the final 8. Notice the french championship began the day of the last CL final ^^(+ holidays+COVID+...) which didn’t helped us to take a good start. True we might not even make CL next year but I reasonably think we do, some contenders have to play against each other.
True again, we’re not 100% fit, Marquinhos ( captain/heart of the team) is just back on training, Crystal/Verratti is between two injuries as often. At the moment, Neymar or MBappe haven’t been slaughtered by ligue 1 butchers ( but we have the Metz game tomorrow which could change a lot).
Even if we are at 100%, I believe we have our strongest 11 (+ 2) of the season and we are a two faces team ( domestic/international)hope it will be enough to go throug.
I disagree on Bayern stuff, I didn’t see luck only, I saw talent and team spirit too. Every team has his miss and loss, they had lewandosky and gnabry down ( better for us ok) but we had Marquimhos out and Mitch Bakker in - balance - on the second ne on the second leg they were “lucky” Neymar aiming was a bit loose.

City- then I‘m not very expert on your team but I now you have a much deeper squad than us, and you have more “certitudes“ in the way you play. I secretly hope Pep will overthrow the table and put a drastic/original/unseen tactic no one has seen before and fall down with it but I don’t think it will happen.

Days seems endless until Wednesday

 

[PragueBlue]

PSG - true, we are not ruling then league as we usually do but the players didn’t stop since the final 8. Notice the french championship began the day of the last CL final ^^(+ holidays+COVID+...) which didn’t helped us to take a good start. True we might not even make CL next year but I reasonably think we do, some contenders have to play against each other.
True again, we’re not 100% fit, Marquinhos ( captain/heart of the team) is just back on training, Crystal/Verratti is between two injuries as often. At the moment, Neymar or MBappe haven’t been slaughtered by ligue 1 butchers ( but we have the Metz game tomorrow which could change a lot).
Even if we are at 100%, I believe we have our strongest 11 (+ 2) of the season and we are a two faces team ( domestic/international)hope it will be enough to go throug.
I disagree on Bayern stuff, I didn’t see luck only, I saw talent and team spirit too. Every team has his miss and loss, they had lewandosky and gnabry down ( better for us ok) but we had Marquimhos out and Mitch Bakker in - balance - on the second ne on the second leg they were “lucky” Neymar aiming was a bit loose.

City- then I‘m not very expert on your team but I now you have a much deeper squad than us, and you have more “certitudes“ in the way you play. I secretly hope Pep will overthrow the table and put a drastic/original/unseen tactic no one has seen before and fall down with it but I don’t think it will happen.

Days seems endless until Wednesday

My post was in reply to somebody trying to pick every positive for PSG and every negative for City so I was just showing the other side. I think it will be a very close couple of games that could go either way but I would have us as slight favourites..

 

[Raul Butembois]

My post was in reply to somebody trying to pick every positive for PSG and every negative for City so I was just showing the other side. I think it will be a very close couple of games that could go either way but I would have us as slight favourites..

I would too honestly (City a little stronger) talent is on the both sides and your squad has depth. Besides we are better as challengers :-)

 

[JGL07]

Whatever the line-ups, this will certainly be the toughest tie City have had this season. It will be harder that anyone City can play in the final. Their team has quality throughout.

City beat Real Madrid home and away last season and they don’t look any stronger now. Ok City lost the Semi-Final to Chelsea with almost a reserve side but beat them easily away in the PL with a stronger team.

I would rate it 60% to 40% for City against PSG.

 

[MCFC_ Phil]

****

I was going to give a reasoned analysis of why he was wrong. But you beat me to it.

 

[Toulousain85]

There are so many reasons for PSG and their fans to be optimistic.

Where to start?

- Verratti, Navas, Diallo and Marquinhos should all be back on the training ground by the end of the week
- MBappé was rested today
- Neymar played and was unscathed despite some rough treatment
- Everybody will be fit next week
- They play mid-table Metz on Sat'day.

Now City, OTOH,
- have a cup final this weekend
- KDB is injured
- Sterling's in the doldrums
- No Lewandowski-type no 9
- Stones vs. MBappé...
- Played the weakest opponent in the last 16
- Struggled for three halves vs. the team ranked 5th in Germany
- Lost recently vs. Leeds & Chelsea, failing to create many chances
- Pep's overthinking
- Recent history vs. French clubs (Monaco, Lyon)

If you add PSG's successful counter-attacking style of play vs. possession teams (see Bayern in the previous round), PSG definitely have the edge.

I still wouldn't take any of their defenders in our 1st 11. Their midfield is also weaker than ours. Those forwards are world class but let's not forget they scored nil vs Bayern and Lille, so they can be nullified.

 

[Toulousain85]

PSG - true, we are not ruling then league as we usually do but the players didn’t stop since the final 8. Notice the french championship began the day of the last CL final ^^(+ holidays+COVID+...) which didn’t helped us to take a good start. True we might not even make CL next year but I reasonably think we do, some contenders have to play against each other.
True again, we’re not 100% fit, Marquinhos ( captain/heart of the team) is just back on training, Crystal/Verratti is between two injuries as often. At the moment, Neymar or MBappe haven’t been slaughtered by ligue 1 butchers ( but we have the Metz game tomorrow which could change a lot).
Even if we are at 100%, I believe we have our strongest 11 (+ 2) of the season and we are a two faces team ( domestic/international)hope it will be enough to go throug.
I disagree on Bayern stuff, I didn’t see luck only, I saw talent and team spirit too. Every team has his miss and loss, they had lewandosky and gnabry down ( better for us ok) but we had Marquimhos out and Mitch Bakker in - balance - on the second ne on the second leg they were “lucky” Neymar aiming was a bit loose.

City- then I‘m not very expert on your team but I now you have a much deeper squad than us, and you have more “certitudes“ in the way you play. I secretly hope Pep will overthrow the table and put a drastic/original/unseen tactic no one has seen before and fall down with it but I don’t think it will happen.

Days seems endless until Wednesday

I'm a City fan in France. Not been watching a lot of Ligue 1 this season but everytime I saw a match PSG were underwhelming. PSG will be favorite looking at current CL form but that will play to City's hands. Although you have to admit a moment of genius from Neymar or Mbappé could change everything. City need 2 chances to score 1, Psg need 1 chance to score 2. But City generally create lots of chances.

 

[HelloCity]

There are so many reasons for PSG and their fans to be optimistic.

Where to start?

- Verratti, Navas, Diallo and Marquinhos should all be back on the training ground by the end of the week
- MBappé was rested today
- Neymar played and was unscathed despite some rough treatment
- Everybody will be fit next week
- They play mid-table Metz on Sat'day.

Now City, OTOH,
- have a cup final this weekend
- KDB is injured
- Sterling's in the doldrums
- No Lewandowski-type no 9
- Stones vs. MBappé...
- Played the weakest opponent in the last 16
- Struggled for three halves vs. the team ranked 5th in Germany
- Lost recently vs. Leeds & Chelsea, failing to create many chances
- Pep's overthinking
- Recent history vs. French clubs (Monaco, Lyon)

If you add PSG's successful counter-attacking style of play vs. possession teams (see Bayern in the previous round), PSG definitely have the edge.

That’s some negative spin I’ll give you that. 1 post as well. Hmmmm.