Table of Contents
Both these teams have won their previous domestic games, PSG with a resounding 3-1 victory over Metz and Manchester City lifted their fourth consecutive League Cup over Tottenham Hotspur, thanks to a header from Aymeric Laporte in the final.
Paris Saint Germain are on course to their second consecutive Champions League final and their opponents Manchester City have been desperately waiting for the biggest prize in European football since their cash-influxed takeover in 2008.
The Parisian club are the hosts for the first leg and would like to capitalise on that advantage as much as possible. PSG enjoyed sweet revenge on Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals, eliminating the Bavarians on 3-3 aggregate thanks to their important away goals in Germany. Although they lost the second leg, Pochettino and his team has produced some fine performances since the Argentine took the realm in January.
They forced out Barcelona in the round of 16 and the revenge against Bayern in the quarter final will certainly boost their momentum before the City game on Wednesday. And with just a single hurdle left before the year’s biggest game, Paris can become the sixth Champions League runners-up to reach the final twice in two years. Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappe has been declared fit for Wednesday’s game after he was seen limping in PSG’s 3-1 victory over Metz in Ligue 1 last weekend, so the only concern remaining for Pochettino will be their inconsistent home form this season.
Manchester City will be heading to the French capital on the back of their League Cup glory three days earlier and Pep Guardiola will be asking his boys to extend the run in these last few weeks of the season. The Spanish coach reached his first Champions League semifinal with City, thrashing two german teams in the process. Borussia Monchengladbach lost both the legs 2-0 in the round of 16 and Borussia Dortmund put up a valiant fight in the quarter-finals but had to surrender to the Cityzen’s attacking prowess. Manchester City have both individual and collective brilliance to conquer Europe quite easily, but the problem has been somewhat psychological for them. Thus, having come this far in this tournament, Guardiola cannot afford to commit any mistakes whatsoever and has to motivate his men to go all the way and lift the coveted trophy.
Key Players
Neymar
Among all the superstars involved in the mouth-watering semi-final clash between these two teams, Neymar is undoubtedly the showstopper. The Brazilian has been nothing short of genius for the Parisians this season, especially during European nights, where the former Barca forward has scored 6 goals and assisted 3 more in just 7 games. Overall Neymar has a mind-boggling stat of 20 goals and 12 assists in only 27 Champions League games for PSG. So, there’s a heavy chance of Neymar being himself on Wednesday.
Marco Verratti
The 28-year-old Italian has been enjoying yet another fruitful season at the Parc des Princes and has been bossing the midfield whenever he takes on the pitch. But the midfielder suffered a string of niggling injuries and was tested positive for coronavirus twice in the 2020/21 campaign. Still, his comeback performance was convincing enough to keep a place in the regular XI, and with an average of 87 passes per game of which 91% are accurate, Veratti has assisted 6 times in 28 appearances this term.
Phil Foden
The emergence of a young Phil Foden has been highlighted as a success story for Manchester City’s heavy investment in their youth academy. The 20-year-old has been sensational this season and marked his coming of age performance with an absolute belter against Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-final second leg. His 14 goals and 9 assists in 44 overall appearances should really announce his capabilities as a world-class talent and the Cityzens have a superstar to relish for years to come.
Ruben Dias
After a season with recurring problems at defence, blew away City’s title dream, Guardiola spent no time fixing the error by signing the 23-year-old from Benfica last summer. Since then, Dias has shown valuable leadership skills at the back while organising the defence as well. His solid partnership with John Stones at the back four has been pivotal for Cityzen’s continuous success both in the Premier League and the Champions League.
Prediction
PSG are expected to field their best starting XI of the season with Mbappe, Neymar, and Di Maria all fit to play as they look forward to finishing the tie as soon as possible.
Manchester City on the other half have a daunting challenge ahead of them in their quest for a double this campaign. All their megastars for the match have been declared fit as they look poised to book a place in the finals.
Nonetheless, Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League semi-final between these two giants has been labeled as one of the most anticipated matches of the season. Both the teams have never lifted the trophy, coming close to success on multiple occasions. A draw or win for PSG is expected, given the lethality they possess in attack while Pep Guardiola’s poor performance in the Champions League knockout stages with Man City should be a headache for the Etihad faithful.
