Manchester City vs. PSG: Team News, Preview, Live Stream and TV Info
Tuesday sees Manchester City play their biggest match of the season so far. Having drawn 2-2 with Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final last week in the French capital, Manuel Pellegrini’s side will now look to qualify for the semi-finals of the competition for the first time when they face the Ligue 1 champions at the Etihad Stadium.
Their superb first-leg display has given them a real chance of progressing. Two away goals means they start as favourites, and they showed in Paris that, just like PSG, they have match-winners who can exploit any space given to them.
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Laurent Blanc will be expecting a difficult evening, but he arrives with a squad full of quality. It will be a fascinating encounter between two sides desperate to show they are ready to be considered one of Europe’s elite sides.
"Tomorrow CITY vs PSG ! Victory has to be ours ! We are counting on your support for the home game!#ChampionsLeague pic.twitter.com/o3ojalqteS
— Eliaquim Mangala (@Elia22Mangala) April 11, 2016"
Date: Tuesday, 12 April
Kick-off: 7:45 p.m. BST/2:45 p.m. ET
TV Listings: BT Sport Europe (UK) & Fox Sports 1 (US)
Live Stream: BT Sport app (UK)
"Tuesday night will be unmissable..! Don't miss out: https://t.co/yyZSBry4hD #mcfc #cityvpsg #CMONCITY pic.twitter.com/myCTNpyAs9
— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) April 11, 2016"
Form Guide
Manchester City
Manchester City 2-1 West Bromwich Albion
Paris Saint-Germain 2-2 Manchester City (Champions League)
Bournemouth 0-4 Manchester City
Manchester City 0-1 Manchester United
Manchester City 0-0 Dynamo Kiev (Champions League)
Paris Saint-Germain
Guingamp 0-2 Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain 2-2 Manchester City (Champions League)
Paris Saint-Germain 4-1 Nice
Paris Saint-Germain 0-2 Monaco
Troyes 0-9 Paris Saint-Germain
"Exercice d'accélérations pour les Parisiens ! #MCIPSG https://t.co/hjNWEXWDf8
— PSG Officiel (@PSG_inside) April 11, 2016"
Predicted Formations
Manchester City
Vincent Kompany remains unavailable for selection. He trained on Monday but isn't fit enough to play. Nicolas Otamendi sat out Monday's session due to a twisted ankle but will play, and David Silva is okay after missing the win over West Brom with ankle pain. Raheem Sterling is out.
"If we arrive at the semi-finals with this group it would be a very good achievement," Pellegrini told reporters on Friday. "But we wouldn't just be happy with that.
"We must play every game thinking we are the best and that we can win - to arrive to the semi-final to try and win this competition."
Predicted XI (4-3-3): Hart; Sagna, Otamendi, Mangala, Clichy; Fernando, Fernandinho, Toure; De Bruyne, Silva, Aguero.
Paris Saint-Germain
Blanc will assess the fitness of Marco Verratti before the game but said the midfielder "needs a miracle" to be involved. Javier Pastore has traveled but remains a doubt. Blaise Matuidi and David Luiz are out.
"It will be a new era for French football if we go through," Blanc said. "Of course it would change things.
"It would make it a real breakthrough. But that is not enough. Ultimately, the club's objective is to win the Champions League.
"There will be expectations until we win it. A lot of investment has been made. We have to show we are making progress."
Predicted XI (4-3-3): Trapp; Aurier, Silva, Marquinhos, Maxwell; Rabiot, Motta, Lucas; Di Maria, Ibrahimovic, Cavani.
Players To Watch
Manchester City: Kevin De Bruyne
There's little doubt about who City's form player is right now. Kevin De Bruyne's performances since returning to the side from injury have been sensational, and he is the key attacking player in the side.
He scores goals, creates chances, has wonderful vision and the ability to pick out passes, both long and short.
City look a far better team with him in the side, and PSG know that to get a positive result that sees them progress to the semi-final, they need to stop him from having the level of influence he did in the first leg.
Paris Saint-Germain: Marquinhos
Luiz's suspension means his fellow countryman, Marquinhos, is likely to step into the side.
He has rarely been a first-choice player under Blanc, despite many suggesting he is a safer bet than Luiz, whose game is often error-strewn.
Marquinhos needs to find his rhythm quickly. He played at the weekend in the win over Guingamp and acquitted himself well, but the pace and intensity of that match will be nothing like the one he will take part in at the Etihad.
Key Battle
Eliaquim Mangala vs. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Eliaquim Mangala gave an excellent second-half display in the first leg last week, and he needs a repeat.
He's very often been criticised for a lack of concentration, but against PSG he provided a series of vital interventions that kept the opposition frustrated during periods of intense pressure.
Keeping Zlatan Ibrahimovic quiet isn't easy, though. Even at 34, he remains supremely talented and a real threat, with his strength, aerial quality and ability to produce the unexpected making him one of the most feared strikers in the game.
It could prove to be the key subplot of the game.
Odds
Manchester City: +150
Paris Saint-Germain: +180
Draw: +230
Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2015/16 season. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @RobPollard.
