Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid will look to return to winning ways in the Champions League when they hit the road to face French giants PSG.
Paris Saint-Germain have been winless in their last two UEFA Champions League games and in order to get things back on track they will have to take down Atletico Madrid at home on Wednesday night.
The Ligue 1 giants kick-started their European campaign with a win over Girona. However, they lost to Arsenal on matchday 2 and failed to win against PSV (1-1). PSG are 19th in the Champions League points table, and they will have to start winning games if they want to qualify for the round of 16 directly.
Paris Saint-Germain are top of the table in Ligue 1, and they have won each of their last two outings. However, Atletico Madrid will present a completely different challenge, and PSG are not going to find it easy.
The visitors are 27th in the UEFA Champions League points table. Just like the home team, even they started their campaign with a 2-1 win over RB Leipzig but have lost their last two outings against Benfica and LOSC Lille. No one expected them to go down in either of those fixtures and now they will be aiming to return to winning ways against PSG.
The Colchoneross have been doing decent in La Liga but their form in Europe has been a major cause of concern. But, Simeone’s team are currently out of the qualification zone in UCL and if they don’t turn things around quickly, things could get complicated. The Hard Tackle takes a close look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Paris Saint-Germain
Luis Enrique’s team remain without the services of Lucas Hernandez, Presnel Kimpembe, and Goncalo Ramos. The Spanish manager took a massive call in their last outing by benching Gianluigi Donnarumma for Matvei Safonov. The latter had an impressive outing, and he should keep his place in the starting XI for this Champions League fixture.
Enrique will stick to the 4-3-3 formation. The back four in front of Safonov will be made up of Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Willian Pacho, and Nuno Mendes. Hakimi and Mendes will be on the flanks while the other two will take charge in the heart of the defence.
Portuguese midfield sensation Joao Neves will start alongside Vitinha and Warren Zaire-Emery. The trio will look to control the tempo and ensure they have more of the ball.
Ousmane Dembele should return to his preferred right flank, with in-form Bradley Barcola expected to start on the left. Marc Asensio should lead the line for PSG against Atletico Madrid. The former Real Madrid star will have the role of a false nine.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Safonov; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes; Zaire-Emery, Vitinha, Neves; Dembele, Asensio, Barcola
Atletico Madrid
Diego Simeone’s son Giuliano Simeone will be pushing for a place in the starting XI thanks to his impressive performance in their last outing. However, he might have to be satisfied with a place on the bench, and the big stars should start this important game against PSG.
Marcos Llorente, Robin Le Normand, and Cesar Azpilicueta remain unavailable. Thomas Lemar is a doubt. However, Atletico Madrid do have a boost as Pablo Barrios returned to action last time out.
Simeone will stick to the 4-4-2 formation, where Jan Oblak will be in goal. Nahuel Molina and Reinildo Mandava should be the full-backs, while Axel Witsel and Jose Maria Gimenez should feature in the central defensive pairing.
Rodrigo De Paul and Samuel Lino will feature out wide on the flanks in the centre of the park, with Koke and Barrios taking charge in a more central role. Summer signing Julian Alvarez should pair up with French superstar Antoine Griezmann in the final third of the pitch.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Oblak; Molina, Witsel, Gimenez, Reinildo; De Paul, Koke, Barrios, Lino; Alvarez, Griezmann
Key Stats
- Atletico Madrid and PSG have never faced each other in a major European competition.
- Diego Simeone’s team are all set to become the 10th Spanish team to face PSG on the European stage.
- Los Rojiblancos unbeaten in their last four matches against French opposition before they lost to LOSC Lille in their last outing.
- PSG have never lost five European games in a single calendar year but that record is under threat as they have already lost four in 2024.
- Atletico Madrid have lost each of their last two Champions League outings.
Player to Watch
Bradley Barcola
The 22-year-old French forward has been in sensational form in the new season. He already has eight goals and two assists in his 10 league outings. But, Barcola is yet to contribute towards a goal in the UEFA Champions League, and he will be hoping to get on the scoresheet against Atletico and help his team return to winning ways.
Prediction
PSG 2-1 Atletico Madrid
Both teams have been inconsistent in this year’s UEFA Champions League. However, they have star-studded squads which suggest that this will be a very closely fought encounter. PSG and Atletico Madrid will both push for all three points but in the end, the home team might come out on top by the smallest of margins. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Luis Enrique and his men.
