PSG, winners of the reverse fixture, sit second behind City by a point but are the only unbeaten side in Group A.

A second win for Mauricio Pochettino over Pep Guardiola with his Parisian outfit this season will put them into the round of 16.

Manchester City will also look to progress to the next stage with a win against a side including Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé.

City have recovered well from their defeat to PSG three rounds ago, with back-to-back victories over Belgian champions Club Brugge sending them top of the group.

Brugge themselves are still able to qualify for the last 16 and if they can beat RB Leipzig in their match tonight, they could put a lot of heat on the losing side in the City-PSG fixture.

A draw in this fixture and a win for Phillippe Clement’s side would mean that three teams will be in the race to progress on the final matchday.

City’s Belgian star Kevin De Bruyne will miss the game after contracting Covid-19 during the November international window while £100 million signing Jack Grealish will be monitored ahead of the match.

Rafinha, Julain Draxler and Alexandre Letellier will all miss the clash for PSG as they recover from injuries.

Teams

Manchester City – Predicted (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Stones, Dias, Cancelo; Rodri, Gundogan, Zinchenko; Mahrez, Bernardo, Sterling.

Subs: Steffen, Carson, Ake, Jesus, Laporte, Fernandinho, Palmer, McAtee.

PSG (4-3-3): Navas; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Kimpembe, Mendes; Paredes, Herrera, Gueye; Messi, Neymar, Di Maria; Mbappé.

Subs: Donnarumma, Franchi, Dagba, Diallo, Kehrer, Ramos, Verratti, Di Maria, Ebimbe, Wijnaldum, Pereira, Icardi.

Odds

Manchester City 1/2

Draw 7/2

PSG 9/2

Where To Watch

Manchester City play host to PSG at 8 pm with BT Sport 2 showing the match (Coverage from 7 pm). LiveScore will also have the match on their app.

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PSG got their first Champions League win of the campaign and their first win against Manchester City at the Parc des Princes.

Lionel Messi scored his first goal for the club to seal the victory after midfielder Idrissa Gueye’s opener.

Manchester City were dominant in possession but failed to get on the scoresheet in a night that saw last season’s slain semi-finalists get revenge on the silver medalists.

City pushed for an equaliser for most of the game but Messi’s fantastic first goal for his new club brought an end to the challenge the Premier League champions had posed.

The Argentine picked the ball up from a deep position and raced towards the retreating Manchester City back line with pace.

Centre-forward Kylian made a diagonal run to the 18-yard line, where he received the ball and played it back to Messi, who struck first time and curled the ball into the top-right corner of City’s net.

“We know it’s impossible to control Leo all 90 minutes,” Guardiola said in his post-match interview. ”

Of course, he came back from some injuries, which is why he needed a bit of rhythm but we know him quite well and when he can run and be close to the ball he’s unstoppable.

“The way we have done is minimise this as much as possible and create the chances that we could create. We arrived here and played our game.

“They defended deep with seven players, and it’s always the risk if you lose the ball and they can make one pass with Verratti who is an exceptional player and they make contact with Neymar or Messi and run it’s always difficult.”

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The Parc des Princes will host the English champions for the second time this year after Manchester City brushed aside the 2019-20 finalists to earn a place in their first-ever European final.

City scored two important away goals that helped them put one foot in the final the last time they were at the 47,000 seater stadium and will look to assert dominance in this Group A clash.

The entertainment value was huge in City’s last Champions League game as they won 6-3 against Jesse Marsch’s stuttering RB Leipzig.

PSG failed to register their first win of the European campaign in a draw against Belgian champions Club Brugge and will look to earn it against the English champions instead – they come into the game needing a European victory after a four-game winless streak.

The side are yet to drop points in Ligue 1 after eight games and have only conceded seven.

However, like Liverpool against Porto, City are yet to be beaten by the French outfit, winning three times and drawing twice since their first meeting in 2008.

Midfielder Ilkay Gundogan will not return to the matchday squad tonight and will be out until after the international break.

Centre-back John Stones is ready to return to action soon, according to Pep Guardiola but it remains to be seen whether that will be tonight – Aymeric Laporte and Ruben Dias have been a stellar pairing for Manchester City so far this season.

Messi has recovered from a knee injury in time to be in Mauricio Pochettino’s squad for the clash and could start with Neymar and Kylian Mbappé.

Lineups

PSG (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Kimpembe, Mendes; Herrera, Verratti, Gueye; Messi, Mbappe, Neymar.

Subs: Navas, Letellier, Paredes, Icardi, Danilo, Dagba, Wijnaldum, Kurzawa, Diallo, Draxler, Kehrer, Dina Ebimbe.

Manchester City (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Dias, Laporte, Cancelo; Rodri, De Bruyne, Bernardo; Mahrez, Grealish, Sterling.

Subs: Steffen, Carson, Stones, Ake, Jesus, Torres, Fernandino, Foden, McAtee, Wilson-Esbrand.

Odds

PSG 2/1

Draw 12/5

Manchester City 13/10

Where To Watch

The game will kick-off at 8 pm and will be available to watch on Virgin Media 2 and BT Sport 2with coverage starting at 7 pm.

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Ethan Mbappé is only 14 years old but signing his first contract will have him stay at the club until 2024.

He is still young but has shown to be a future attacking threat while being a part of the PSG academy team.

Ethan does have another brother that plays football professionally. Jirès Kembo Ekoko is their adoptive older brother and currently plays for DR Congo and Bursaspor in Turkey.

PSG made the announcement, along with fellow youngster Titu Senny Mayulu, in the middle of a heated transfer marketed for brother, Kylian.

Another Mbappe in town.

Kylian Mbappe's brother, Ethan Mbappe, signs a contract with PSG until 2024 pic.twitter.com/tPvQ7qopkN

— B/R Football (@brfootball) June 25, 2021

What does this mean for Kylian Mbappé?

It is clear that PSG president, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, has chosen to use Mbappé’s family to convince him to stay in Paris longer.

The 22-year-old signed four years ago by PSG for an estimated €180 million. He is now heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid who are looking to start a new Galacticos era.

Since joining the Paris club, he has won three league titles, a World Cup and made it to the finals of the Champions League. He has reached the new heights in his young career but is he ready for his next step?

The signing of his younger brother, Ethan may make the Frenchman want to stay in Paris to spend more time and take care of his sibling.

The Kylian Mbappé to Real Madrid transfer saga has been going on for more than two years and is reaching its boiling point. It would be hard for the youngster and PSG to say no if Madrid offer around €200 million for his signature.

Only time will tell if PSG’s sneaky plan to convince Mbappé to stay has actually worked.

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Paris Saint-Germain have been dealt a massive blow going into tonight’s Champions League clash against Manchester City as star man Kylian Mbappé will reportedly be named on the bench due to fitness concerns.

Mbappé has been nursing a calf injury which kept him out of action against Lens at the weekend.

PSG are already against it having lost 2-1 in the first leg of the semi-final. Their task in reaching the final has now become increasingly more difficult with the potential of one of their star players.

Of course, their squad is still littered with talent including Neymar, Angel Di Maria, Marco Verratti and Marquinhos, but the pace and threat in the final third of Mbappé will be hard to replace.

Speaking about the injury yesterday, PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino said: “We need to assess Kylian. Today he is going to start an individual training session and see if he can be with the team.

“There is still one day and we will see and decide if he is going to be available. We will take the decision tomorrow.”

As mentioned previously, PSG have a massive task on their hands if they want to qualify for the final. They need at least 2 goals to have any chance of winning the tie.

Manchester City don’t concede a succession of goals, and when they do, they often outscore their opponents.

Saying that, PSG’s attacking threat in the first leg was evident and there were a number of times when the Manchester City backline was compromised. They were particularly impressive in the first half as they opened the scoring, created further chances and went in ahead at half-time. City’s quality eventually showed and they looked a different team in the second half, but PSG’s first half performance should give them confidence going into the game.

The fixture kicks-off at 8pm tonight and will be played at the City of Manchester Stadium.

BREAKING: Kylian Mbappé will start on the bench tonight, according to @JulienMaynard.

HUGE blow for PSG. pic.twitter.com/1jiXFUho1W

— Footy Accumulators (@FootyAccums) MAY 4, 2021

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One of the best Champions League games in recent years took place tonight at the Allianz Arena where a resilient Paris Saint-Germain managed to defeat current holders Bayern Munich 3-2 despite being on the back foot for much of the game.

PSG hit the front with just 3 minutes on the clock through who else but Kylian Mbappe. He was played through by another superstar in Neymar and left with plenty of space to get his shot off just outside the 6-yard box. That’s just what he did, firing low into the back of the net to put his team 1-0 ahead. Manuel Neuer, normally so reliable in goals for Bayern Munich, was partly at fault for the goal. He dived early towards the far post thinking that’s where Mbappe was aiming. Instead, Mbappe’s effort went straight down the middle of the goal and through Neuer’s legs as he dived to his right.

Bayern had a number of opportunities afterwards, including clear cut chances for both Leon Goretzka and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting who both failed to make it count, the former’s effort going straight at the ‘keeper and the latter shooting wide.

Their missed opportunities would come back to haunt them as Paris Saint-Germain extended their lead in the 28^th minute. Neymar was heavily involved once again, lifting a beautiful ball into the box and catching out the Bayern Munich defence as they attempted to advance up the pitch. Marquinhos was alert to Neymar’s creativity and made a perfectly timed run into the box, took the ball down expertly and finishing with aplomb past Manuel Neuer to make it 2-0.

Bayern Munich were knocking at the door for much of the match and were perhaps slightly unfortunate to be down 2-0. They eventually made their pressure count, though, as they pulled one back in the 37^th minute. Benjamin Pavard swung a great cross into the penalty area and Choupo-Moting – replacing the injured Robert Lewandowski – got his head to the ball and diverted his effort past Keylor Navas into the net.

The half-time whistle sounded with Bayern Munich behind 2-1 despite controlling much of the contest. The difference between the two teams being the clinical edge as PSG took the few chances they had.

After such an exhilarating first half, few would have expected the second half to reach the same intensity. However, it proved to be just as entertaining, if not more.

PSG had the first big chance of the half just minutes after it commenced. Mbappe managed to steal the ball off Leroy Sane which led to the ball ending up at Neymar’s feet. The Brazilian shot at goal but Manuel Neuer produced a brilliant save, atoning for his earlier mistake. Di Maria got a shot off on the rebound but Alphonso Davies cleared off the line.

Bayern Munich begun to dominate again after that opportunity and managed to grab their equaliser in the 60^th minute. Kimmich, who was quietly controlling the game to that point, lofted a great ball into the box which was met by the head of Thomas Muller and directed into the bottom left corner. 2-2.

Again, Bayern were completely controlling the game. However, they failed to deal with PSG’s counter attacks time and time again. One man that you don’t want running at you on the counter is Kylian Mbappe, but that’s exactly what he did in the 67^th minute, charging at the Bayern defence before cutting inside and finishing precisely at the near post to make it 3-2.

The pace of the game slightly slowed down afterwards but Bayern still managed to create a handful of half chances before the full-time whistle. But, as was the story of the night, they failed to capitalise on those chances.

The match finished 3-2 to PSG who came away with a win and 3 vital away goals.

Throughout the 90, Bayern managed 31 shots to PSG’s 6. However, the result is the only thing that matters and Pochettino will be presumably be very happy with the night’s proceedings.

It’s all over in Munich as @PSG_English win the first-leg! @FCBayern 2⃣
Choupo-Moting 37′
Müller 60′ @PSG_English 3⃣
Mbappé 3′ & 68′
Marquinhos 28′ #𝗙𝗖𝗕𝗣𝗦𝗚 #UCL pic.twitter.com/2wHNVfiG5f

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) APRIL 7, 2021

In the other match tonight, Chelsea took on Porto who defeated Juventus over two legs in the last round to book their place in the quarter-finals.

They were unable to overcome Chelsea on the night, though.

Mason Mount scored the first goal in the 32^nd minute, turning fantastically before driving his shot low towards the far post and past the Porto ‘keeper.

Ben Chilwell wrapped up the victory in the 85^th minute with an equally impressive goal. He charged down the left flank, stole the ball from the Porto defender before advancing towards goal, taking it around the ‘keeper and slotting easily into the net.

The two away goals on the night could prove crucial in the return tie. Porto must score at least 3 goals to guarantee automatic qualification to the semi-finals.

ft. ADVANTAGE CHELSEA! #PORCHE pic.twitter.com/q0i0Jyvr25

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) APRIL 7, 2021

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The long-awaited Champions League knockout stages kicked off today with fans being treated to a gripping pair of fixtures.

One of those fixtures seen Paris Saint-Germain take on Barcelona at the historic Camp Nou. In the other fixture, Liverpool travelled to Germany in order to face an RB Leipzig side who has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the years.

BARCELONA vs. PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN

With Neymar and Di Maria not available for selection, eyes turned to Kylian Mbappe as the man capable of getting PSG over the line.

Barcelona, however, had their say first as Lionel Messi converted a penalty after 27 minutes.

The penalty came after Messi played a fantastic long ball into the path of Frenkie De Jong who was then inadvertently fouled inside the box. The former then stepped up to the spot and dispatched with the coolness he’s displayed throughout his career.

Kylian Mbappe looked dangerous throughout the first half and his efforts paid off just minutes after Barcelona’s goal as he managed to get on the scoresheet himself.

The goal came after a brilliant team move starting down the left flank which had been exploited by PSG for much of the game. The ball was lofted into Mbappe’s feet after a good passing move and he then did well to evade a Barcelona defender before smashing the ball past Ter Stegen at the near post.

Mbappe didn’t slow down in the second half, either. In fact, he only got better.

He put PSG ahead in the 65th minute to make the scoreline 2-1. He was presented with a near open goal and he made no mistake in finding the net.

Former Everton striker Moise Kean then found the net in the 70th minute as he headed in from a well executed PSG free-kick to make it 3-1.

Mbappe wasn’t satisfied with a brace as he continued to terrorize the Barcelona backline. He got his hat-trick in the 85th minute after a brilliant PSG counter attack as he finished expertly into the top corner, leaving no chance for Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

MBAPPE. HAT-TRICK. pic.twitter.com/uULVl7kMWr

— B/R Football (@brfootball) FEBRUARY 16, 2021

Full time: Barcelona 1-4 Paris Saint-Germain

RP LEIPZIG vs. LIVERPOOL

Liverpool have come under scrutiny lately due to uncharacteristic poor performances including losses in their last 3 Premier League games.

They could have done with a positive result tonight to end their poor form. If they were to do so, though, they’d need to put together a convincing performance against an in-form RB Leipzig.

No goals were scored in the first half but Liverpool certainly made up for that in the second.

Mohamed Salah put Liverpool ahead as he so often does with a well executed finish into the bottom corner. It was the Egyptian’s 4th goal in 7 Champions League games this season.

Sadio Mane has come into criticism for his potency in front of goal – or lack of – in recent matches but he managed to get on the scoresheet in the 58th minute. He capitalized on a defensive mistake from Leipzig as he went through on goal and finished into the left-hand corner.

Full time: RB Leipzig 0-2 Liverpool

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Manchester United hosted PSG tonight in their penultimate Champions League group stage match. Last time the two teams faced, Manchester United produced a shock result as they beat the French champions 2-1. This time, there would be no such upset as the attacking quality of PSG shone through.

Tonight’s result means there are now 3 teams on 9 points all fighting for a knockout round spot. All will be decided next week as the teams play each other for the last time in the group stage.

The most interesting fixture is undoubtedly Manchester United vs. Leipzig, both teams being on 9 points. Manchester United came out on top the last time they met as they hammered 5 past the German side. Leipzig have shown they are certainly no pushovers since though. An impressive win over PSG and two over İstanbul Başakşehir have propelled Leipzig up the table.

PSG also face İstanbul Başakşehir in their final fixture. Realistically, they should win and claim a knockout spot but nothing is concrete in football.

It was the French side who drew first blood tonight and they wasted no time in doing so. Who else but Neymar scored in the 5^th minute to give his side the lead. The goal came after Kylian Mbappe easily beat Scott McTominay on his way to goal before his shot was deflected into the path of Neymar. He wasn’t going to miss as he tapped in from close range.

There was a contentious decision made around the 20-minute mark after Fred pushed his head towards Leandro Parades. VAR had a look at the incident and called referee Daniele Orsato over to have a look. In a surprising twist, the referee only branded a yellow card. Surprising given that Nicolas Pépé was sent off for a similar offence just weeks ago in the Premier League.

Manchester United got their equalizer not long after the controversial decision. Marcus Rashford scored against PSG in the initial meeting between the two sides and he done the same again tonight with a goal in the 32^nd minute. His shot from the edge of the box deflected off Danilo Pereira and into the net. Tonight marked Rashford’s 6^th goal in just 5 Champions League game so far this season.

The first half ended 1-1 with the tie firmly in the balance.

Manchester United had a golden opportunity to take the lead just minutes after the first half. There was some fantastic link-up play from Edinson Cavani and Marcus Rashford before the latter slipped the ball into Anthony Martial. The Frenchman then blasted over the bar from close range, however.

Edinson Cavani contributed to 3 goals during the weekend and he very nearly put United in the lad with 56 minutes gone. The Uruguayan was through on goal after being slipped in but with defenders closing in on him, he opted to chip from outside the box. He was almost rewarded for his innovation as the ball went over the keeper but clipped the bar. Bruno Fernandes collected the rebound before passing to Martial who had his shot blocked by a PSG defender.

Manchester United were firmly in control for much of the opening period of the second half but Marquinhos should have opened the scoreline for PSG in the 63^rd minute. The defender was left unmarked at the far post after a good passage of play but his header only managed to find the crossbar before going out for a goal kick. He really should have hit the target, at least.

PSG were starting to get back into the game after a period of Manchester United domination. Mitchell Bakker had a chance to put PSG ahead after being put through by Neymar but his shot was spectacularly saved by David De Gea. The resulting corner, however, did result in a PSG goal. Marquinhos put his side ahead and after some deliberation from VAR the goal stood.

Things went from bad to worse from United just moments after as Fred was sent to the changing room. His frustration showed as he went lunging in with a slide tackle and although he won the ball, the referee deemed the challenge reckless. He was sent off after collecting his second yellow.

The sending off didn’t seem to affect United all that much as they had a series of half chances after the fact. They did, however, fail to turn those chances into goals. Neymar ended any chance of a Manchester United come back as he tapped in from a Rafinha pull back with just minutes remaining.

The match finished 2-1 to PSG on a disappointing night for Manchester United.

The away side take all three points.#MUFC #UCL

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) DECEMBER 2, 2020

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