Paris Saint-Germain lock horns with Manchester City on January 22, both sides desperate for three points to ensure qualification to the next round of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League.
PSG are on the precipice of disaster. The Ligue 1 champions are in 25th place, staring elimination in the eye. They have two games to claw their way up the log, and a positive result against the Cityzens is a must.
Les Parisiens are running away with the Ligue 1 title, unbeaten in 16 games at the time of writing, but they have been abysmal in Europe, losing half of their matches (D1, W2).
They will be gunning for three points, but it might be a tough task against a City side beginning to find their groove after a disastrous run of form.
The Premier League champions have not been firing on all cylinders in the Champions League (and domestically).
City will be eager for three points to punch their way up the table and avoid sinking into the elimination zone.
Sitting 22nd on the League phase ranking, City are only a point away from PSG and cannot afford a slip-up in France. They have found some rhythm after recording one win in 11 games.
Pep Guardiola’s side sealed back-to-back wins over Leicester City and West Ham United for the first time since October at the time of writing.
The stage is set for a blockbuster showdown between two wounded giants with a point to prove.
Fans eager to catch this mouth-watering match-up can secure Paris Saint-Germain vs Manchester City tickets at Seatsnet.com, the premier ticket marketplace.
Match Preview
PSG came into the season off a deflating semi-final loss last term. Pundits expected a response.
However, they have struggled to find their footing in Europe post-Kylian Mbappe. Their stars are shining in Ligue 1 but crumbling under the weight of Champions League football.
Scraping a 1-0 win over struggling Girona at the Parc des Princes was a sign of things to come.
On matchday two, PSG suffered a loss at the hands of Arsenal. The Parisians passed the ball around (a lot) but failed to break Arsenal down.
PSG failed to create anything of note, and Bukayo Saka engineered a 2-0 win for the North Londoners.
Back in France, PSG welcomed PSV but failed to show anything of note again.
Manager Luis Enrique was already coming under fire for the mediocre European campaign. Another loss at home, this time to Atletico Madrid, only stoked the fire in his hot seat.
PSG played into Diego Simeone’s hands, moving the ball from side to side without penetration (a staple of Enrique’s creatively bankrupt football). Atletico only needed two opportunities to take all three points.
Their loss to Bayern Munich on matchday five was more of the same toothless stuff. They managed a 3-0 victory against a listless RB Salzburg in their last outing but remain just outside the play-off places.
This squad should be competing for the automatic play-off places, and the fact that they are on the brink of being eliminated is an indictment on the manager.
Pummelling domestic opposition cannot be the mettle by which Enrique is judged.
Their European campaign is a massive failure, and they need maximum points against City to have a chance at qualifying for the next round.
As for City, they are equally disappointing, but Guardiola still has plenty of goodwill in the bag.
City have navigated a tempestuous period that threatened to derail their campaign. A 4-1 win over West Ham was only their third victory in 15 matches.
City’s Champions League push started positively. A respectable draw against Inter Milan was not a bad start, and they followed it with convincing wins over Slovan Bratislava and Slavia Praha.
However, the wheels began to come off after Tottenham Hotspur knocked City out of the EFL Cup. Bournemouth claimed a scalp in the Premier League, and Sporting CP added to their woes with a 4-1 win in Europe.
Two successive losses to Brighton & Hove Albion and Tottenham preceded a chaotic collapse on matchday five as City threw away a 3-0 lead against Feyenoord to draw 3-3.
Juventus plunged them further down the table, beating City 2-0 in Turin.
The reigning English champions need to respond and seal three points against PSG. The Parisians are there for the taking if Guardiola’s side brings their A-game.
Head to Head
PSG and Man City have faced off six times in the Champions League, and the English team has the upper hand, winning four of those duels (D1, L1).
Their last encounter came in the 2021/22 group stage, where PSG won 2-0 in France before City battled for a 2-1 victory in England.
Before that, City beat PSG twice in the 2020/21 UCL semi-finals to book a date against Chelsea in the final.
The Cityzens seem to have PSG’s number. In their first meeting in 2016, City would hold PSG to a 2-2 draw at the Parc des Princes before earning a 1-0 win on home soil.
PSG’s record against English opponents also makes for grim reading.
They have performed poorly against City, Arsenal, and Newcastle United, although they gave a decent account of themselves versus Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool.
Best XIs
PSG
Gianluigi Donnarumma is back in the team after his horrific facial injury and is expected to start ahead of Matvey Safonov between the sticks for this crunch match-up.
Wantaway man Nuno Mendes will start at left-back with Achraf Hakimi opposite him, while William Pacho and captain Marquinhos have been the preferred central defensive pairing.
Joao Neves, Vitinha, and Warren Zaire-Emery should anchor the engine room, with Desire Doue starting ahead of Bradley Barcola on the left flank as the Frenchman’s spat with Enrique continues.
With Randal Kolo Muani and Goncalo Ramos struggling for form, Ousmane Dembele has been playing as the false nine with Lee Kang-In on the right side, and Enrique will continue with that formula against City.
(4-3-3): Donnarumma; Hakimi, Pacho, Marquinhos, Mendes; Zaire-Emery, Vitinha, Neves; Doue, Dembele, Lee.
Man City
City have found stability with a back five of goalkeeper Stefan Ortega and a rearguard of Josko Gvardiol, Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji, and Rico Lewis at the time of writing.
Mateo Kovacic will likely hold the fort at the base of midfield, with Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne just ahead of him.
Up front, Savinho and Phil Foden can work their magic on the flanks for Erling Haaland to finish.
(4-3-3): Ortega; Gvardiol, Ake, Akanji, Lewis; Kovacic, Silva, De Bruyne; Savinho, Haaland, Foden.
Ticket Info
Fans can cheer their favourites live by purchasing tickets from the official channels.
Those looking to book a spot in the stands at a subsidised rate should look no further than Seatsnet.com, which remains the best ticket marketplace for every Champions League fixture.
How to Watch
Live Champions League football is on TV in the UK via TNT Sports and Amazon Prime Video. Amazon Prime Video have the first pick of matches on Tuesday evenings.
TNT Sports has the right to show every other game from the 2024/25 Champions League, including the 2025 UEFA Champions League final.
