PSG to exact revenge on Man Utd
Manchester United will welcome fellow titans of the sport Paris Saint-Germain to Old Trafford on Wednesday evening, buoyed by their stirring, last-minute comeback win over Southampton in the Premier League. Former Parisien Edinson Cavani bagged a brace off the bench to complete what had at one time seemed a distinctly unlikely result, and should feature at least for some of the Champions League clash. PSG will be looking to level things up with their opponents, and might just manage to travel back to France with their mission accomplished. Read our preview here:
Bullish El Matador
A mixture of Cavani's superb double haul and assist, and Mason Greenwood's lacklustre opening half should conspire to give El Matador the nod for the crunch clash. The Uruguayan, at 33, might not have the energy to lead the line consistently in a red shirt, but there's little doubt about how potent he can still be, as he proved so ruthlessly and decisively on Sunday. Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær will have to continue to be cute in his use of the former PSG frontman, but will surely call upon his oceans of top level experience to partner Marcus Rashford in attack. Victor Lindelöf was able to shake off a knock to boost the Red Devils' suspect backline at the weekend, and will need to be on top of his game to keep Kylian Mbappé in check. A scan on David de Gea's knee ahead of the tie won't send quite as many alarm bells ringing at Old Trafford and amongst the fanbase as it once might have. Dean Henderson is a superb understudy, and moreover, gets actively involved in being the last line of defence where other custodians might not feel as confident.
Gueye and proud
Neymar, who was used in a narrow 4-2-2-2 shape by head coach Thomas Tuchel behind the strikers during the disappointing 2-2 draw with Bordeaux in Ligue 1 at the weekend, has warned his teammates that they need to perform far better than they have in recent matches if they're to achieve their goal of beating United and leapfrogging them into top spot in the group in the process. Fortunately for the visitors, they'll be able to restore Presnel Kimpembe to centre-back and Idriss Gueye to the double-pivot screening the backline. Bruno Fernandes continues to be a genuine bright spark in a sea of erratic form by many of his compatriots, and it fall squarely upon the former Everton destroyer's shoulders to shut the Portuguese playmaker down. Constraining him will severely weaken the passing lanes open to the midfield three behind him.
Complacency in the air
Cavani's insider knowledge on the training pitch and in the home dressing room will be a boost to United's chances of doing a double over another European giant. However, what has become commonplace under Solskjær's reign is the following up of one or two impressive results and/or performances with an offering so abject, it immediately puts pressure on him and his status at the club once more. The overreliance on Fernandes to conjure something up in a packed schedule will doubtlessly catch up with the Red Devils at some juncture, and the visitors have some fresh legs to reintroduce for the fight. betway are offering odds of 2.40 for an away win that might see three sides sit on nine points with just one round of fixtures remaining.
