PSG vs Dortmund: Can Les Parisiens dispatch German opponents?
PSG will hope to dispatch Thomas Tuchel’s former side Dortmund as they look to book their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Neymar’s goal was canceled out by a brace from the player of the moment Erling Haaland, but the Brazilian superstar has still given Les Parisiens a life-line. That vital away strike means that should PSG score, they will be able to secure their spot in the next round. However, they will have to try to keep die Schwarzgelben contained, and that will be much easier said than done. They will have to do this without the services of Kylian Mbappe, who is out due to illness. Fortunately, he tested negative for the Wuhan-originated coronavirus, which means he should be back in action soon, but his absence is still a major blow for Tuchel’s team.
Other absentees include Marco Verratti, who is once again suspended for too many yellow cards. This has become a common and frustrating theme for PSG, especially during crucial ties like this. In addition, Colin Dagba, Thiago Silva, and Ander Herrera are out due to injuries.
For PSG, having being dumped out early last season after losing to Manchester United, they will be desperate to progress. Les Parisiens have repeatedly been thwarted in this competition, despite spending big season after season, and in order to hang onto stars like Mbappe and Neymar, the general feeling is that they really need to take that great leap forward this year. Really, it’s now or never for the cash-rich, ambitious club, who have dominated in Ligue 1 but have failed to match their domestic success with anything on the European stage.
Dortmund still will be missing Marco Reus, whose injury issues are an unfortunate, on-going theme that dates back for years. He has played little to no part in his team’s Champions League campaign this season, which must be quite frustrating for the long-time Dortmund attacker, but the team have certainly shown that they have been able to cope just fine without him. Jadon Sancho, who is the team’s top goalscorer has had a dynamite season, and with the addition of Haaland, the team are one of the most exciting outfits to watch in Germany and Europe this year.
The visitors come into this game in great form. They’ve won their last five games across all competitions, which includes their last four Bundesliga ties. Four points behind Bayern in the league, they are still very much involved in the battle for the league title, but they’ll be keen on trying to go as far in this competition. The last time Dortmund made it to the final was in 2013 when they lost 2-1 to Bayern. Will they manage to see off PSG and book their spot in the quarter-finals? Or will PSG be able to use Neymar’s crucial goal as a launching pad to kick off their Champions League campaign after a great start in the group stages?
