Manchester City head to the final day of the UEFA Champions League group stage needing a win just to reach the first knockout round (forget about a bye and the last 16) after throwing away a 2-0 lead and losing 4-2 to PSG on Wednesday.
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It is perhaps the most unforeseen 24-26 encounter the Champions League has ever seen, with all teams on the brink of elimination if they lose. A draw would not have done much good to either side, and for much of the night, that was where the game seemed to be headed.
Neither team managed to break through despite a few scoring chances in the first half, but the game came back to life after the break. Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland made it 2-0 in the 53rd minute, but Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola equalized within seven minutes. Fifteen more minutes with everything settled, but PSG are developing in the game and seem desperate to go through as the winner. It came thanks to Joao Neves in the 78th minute and Gonçalo Ramos put the icing on the cake in stoppage time, as Pep Guardiola’s team could not avoid wave after wave of pressure from PSG.
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Alas, Manchester City (25th – 8 points) still control their own destiny when the league phase wraps up next Wednesday (all 18 games kick off at 3 pm ET), when they host Club Brugge, one of the six sides they can still leapfrog and sneak into the top-24. A draw would see City eliminated from European competition for the season, as UCL sides no longer parachute into the Europa League knockouts. PSG (22nd – 10 points) will advance if they draw or win on the final day, and can still advance with a loss to Stuttgart.
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Scorers: Jack Grealish (50′), Erling Haaland (53′), Ousmane Dembélé (56′), Bradley Barcola (60′), Joao Neves (78′), Gonçalo Ramos (90′ 2)
Offside decisions are automated in the Champions League, so we assume they are 100 percent accurate to the smallest margin, and we hope they are because it has significantly replaced play.
Donnarumma – Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes – Vitinha, Neves, Ruiz – Lee, Barcola, Doue
Ederson – Nunes, Dias, Akanji, Gvardiol – Kovacic, Silva, De Bruyne – Foden, Savinho, Haaland
Start time: p. m. ET on Wednesday (January 22)
Location: Parc des Princes – Paris
Television/Streaming: Paramount+
Former Barcelona teammates Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique will maintain their friendship for at least a few hours as they both want good luck in Europe this season. Enrique because that’s what PSG hired him for. Guardiola because City’s hopes of winning the Premier League have yet to fade.
PSG sit on seven points and are out of the Champions League playoff places heading into the final two games. Luis Enrique’s side are top of Ligue 1 (they fought back to win at Lens on Saturday) but have really struggled in Europe this season with three defeats from their first six games. But those defeats did come against Arsenal, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich. Enrique’s side head to Stuttgart in their final League Phase game and like Man City those two teams are right next to each other in the table too.
Manchester City have picked up in the Premier League with three wins and two draws from their last five games, as they come into this game off the back of smashing Ipswich Town 6-0 on Sunday. Pep Guardiola is hoping that more positive results combined with the new additions of promising defenders Vitor Reis and Abdukodir Khusanov in the January window will keep City moving upwards. But they sit on eight points and they really need a win against PSG ahead of hosting Club Brugge in their final League Phase game next week if they’re going to get anywhere near finishing in the top eight.
In midfield is where PSG will hope to dictate the tempo of this game as Fabian Ruiz and Vitinha are key to how they play. Experienced duo Ousmane Dembele and Achraf Hakimi are crucial for PSG too and link up well down the right, while winger Bradley Barcola is really coming into his own this season. PSG are very solid defensively and will look to spring Dembele and Co. on the counter.
City have Erling Haaland fit, as well as Kevin de Bruyne and Phil Foden returning to their best, as they now look fluid and damaging in attack. Defensively there are still disorders, but Ederson has reestablished himself as the starting goalkeeper and the trio of Akanji, Dias and Gvardiol start in central defense. Suddenly City is looking a lot more like City again.
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This suits either side, and will most likely start under pressure as Man City have a lot of the ball. Expect an entertaining draw as things open up midway through. PSG 2-2 Manchester City.
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