Manchester City are in the driver’s seat ahead of their big 2016 Champions League quarterfinal second leg with Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday. The Citizens grabbed two crucial away goals in their first leg draw, and will have the support of their home crowd to help finish the deal. However, the French champions are overflowing with quality and are fully capable of regaining the advantage.
Check out our complete breakdown of this second leg showdown below. And for more Champions League action, swing by our preview of Real Madrid vs. Wolfsburg.
What a difference a Belgian makes. Since playmaker Kevin De Bruyne returned from his knee injury, Manchester City have gone undefeated in their last three games. He’s scored two goals in the two games he’s started, which includes the opening goal in their 2-2 first leg draw against PSG.
It was quite the clinical performance from City, who scored those goals despite having very little possession away from home. Those two away goals have given City the edge heading into the second leg. A win or a draw (either 0-0 or 1-1) will see them through to the semifinals, which they’re priced at -155 to do.
Don’t expect City to sit back and try to play for the draw, though, with their defense as shaky as it is. They will still be without their injured captain, Vincent Kompany, which means unreliable deputies like Martin Demichelis and Nicolas Otamendi will likely play in the center of the City defense.
Attack will most likely be the best form of defense for the Citizens, who have scored 41 goals in 17 home games, by far the most in the Premier League this season. Leading scorer Sergio Aguero (23 goals this season) once again found the net over the weekend in their 2-1 win over West Brom, his second goal in three games. Meanwhile, David Silva should be fit to join De Bruyne in the City midfield after an injury scare.
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Betting on Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain were the only home team not to win in the quarterfinal first legs last week, and now have a lot of work to do away from home. They’ll be without two of their suspended stars—David Luiz and Blaise Matuidi—for the trip to England. However, they are still more than capable of getting the win they need to reach the semifinals, and are priced at +125 to do just that.
Losing Luiz could turn out to be a bit of a blessing in disguise for PSG. Marquinhos is a much more assured defender than his fellow Brazilian, and would slot in seamlessly alongside captain Thiago Silva in the center of the PSG defense. Matuidi’s absence in midfield will be much harder to deal with, but the potential return of Marco Verratti should soften that blow.
Verratti is the key to PSG. His metronomic passing sets the tone for the entire team. If he’s anywhere close to his best, PSG will be very dangerous. However, it remains to be seen what level of fitness and sharpness he’ll be in after nearly two months out.
Verratti’s incisive passing will also be crucial in unleashing Angel Di Maria and Lucas Moura out wide, as well as talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who took his season tally to 39 goals in 39 games after his first leg strike.
Lucas only came on as a substitute in the first leg, but should be in line to start after a very impressive two-goal performance against Guingamp over the weekend. The two wingers’ speed will be deadly on the counterattack, especially if City commit too many men going forward.
Writer’s Prediction
PSG (+129) push on to the semifinals with a gritty 1-0 win.
