From our special correspondent in Lisbon,
Cited among the big favorites of this unprecedented "Final 8", with Bayern Munich and Manchester City, even FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain faces Atalanta Bergamo this Wednesday (9 pm, on RMC Sport 1), in Lisbon , on his 50th birthday. Without a net, without a catch-up session: there will indeed be no return match in the Portuguese capital, where the last eight teams competing in this Champions League are gathered, including Olympique Lyonnais, striker of Juventus in round of 16, last Friday. Lisbon is not yet in turmoil, the coronavirus having been there. The supporters will not be at the stadium, behind closed doors, and the bars are forced to close their doors at the time of the kickoff of the matches, or 8 p.m. local time (9 p.m. in France). There were a few dozen curious people to welcome the Parisian players on their arrival at the hotel, one of the only concrete manifestations of the imminence of an event of this magnitude. “Football without an audience is sad,” breathes Emanoel, a Benfica fan. The supporters are the soul of the game. ”In this case, we will have to be content with the game.
A dream, an obsession
Never mind, Neymar and company are not in Lisbon for tourism. They have a goal in mind, a dream, an obsession: to lift the cup to the big ears. The context may be what it is, but their joy would not be less. A campaign for history, 24 years after the victory of Rai, Youri Djorkaeff, Bernard Lama and others in the Cup. “Three victories for glory,” summed up a banner deployed by fans of the Collectif Ultras Paris (CUP), Saturday morning at Le Bourget airport. "March 11 was magical, make August 23 historic", one could read on another.
Between the departures of some (Cavani, Meunier, Kouassi), physical glitches (Mbappé, Verratti, Bernat ...) and a Ligue 1 which has lowered the curtain while the other championships have come to an end, the Parisian preparation will not have Admittedly, “not been ideal”, as Thomas Tuchel sums it up, deploring that “negative news” is piling up with the approach of European meetings, as is often the case. Finally, Paris will have to do without Angel Di Maria (suspended), Marco Verratti (calf), Layvin Kurzawa (thigh) and undoubtedly Kylian Mbappé (ankle) against this prolific team from Bergamo (98 goals in Serie A), neophyte in C1. Although, the latter should appear on the scoresheet and therefore potentially enter the game.
"I have rarely seen such a tight-knit group"
LeonardoDespite everything, the opportunity is great. The club from the capital has not been so close to a coronation in C1 since… 1995, when Luis Fernandez's team reached the semi-finals after removing Barça from Johan Cruyff. The group, still bruised after the humiliations of recent years in the European Cup, are well aware of the opportunity presented to them. This time, there is no risk of sinking on the return, as during the "remount" to Barcelona in 2017 or during the inexplicable debacle of last year against the Manchester United B team. Sacred union. The qualification in the form of release against Dortmund, before confinement, has done a lot of good. "I have rarely seen such a tight-knit group", savored Leonardo, "optimistic" if not boasting. And it is true that the group lives well, very well even, determined to make the efforts and to "suffer together", dixit Tuchel. We saw it during the two cup finals, won without shining at the end of July at the Stade de France against ASSE (1-0) then Lyon (0-0 ap, 6-5 tab). In addition, Neymar Jr is there (see below), PSG have a real great goalkeeper with Keylor Navas and… the draw was lenient.
Lot of problems
Obviously, we should not underestimate Atalanta in the quarter-finals, and in case of qualification, Leipzig or Atlético Madrid in the semi-finals (August 19). But it is clear that the other part of the picture, that of Lyon, is more raised. Moreover, the third place in the last Italian championship has their share of problems too, with the forfeit of their titular goalkeeper, Pierluigi Gollini, and their best offensive player, Josip Ilicic.
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In search of an improbable coronation that would prevent them from a first season without a European Cup for 22 years, the Gones will first have to rub shoulders with Manchester City, before challenging the winner of Bayern-Barça in the semi-final (August 18) to open the doors to the final on August 23. A real way of the cross compared to the route offered to Parisians. Charge to the latter to jump at the opportunity despite the bad luck that sticks to their skin. Even Thomas Tuchel is not spared, victim of a broken foot while playing sports last Thursday. The kind of twist that will make the main interested party smile if Thiago Silva lifts the cup on August 23, at the Luz stadium in Lisbon.
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