Paris facing its destiny. Beaten on the outward journey, in Dortmund (2-1), the Parisians will try to compost their ticket for the quarter-finals of the Champions League this Wednesday (9 p.m.), in an empty Parc des Princes due to the coronavirus epidemic. Quarters that PSG has not reached since 2016, after three consecutive eliminations in 8th. A match to follow live commented on our site, and broadcast on RMC Sport 1 .
What to remember from the first leg?
Paris failed in Germany. And the final score, 2-1 to Dortmund's advantage, does not say everything. Long voiceless, the Parisians seemed to have taken the measure of their ineffective opponents at the start of the second period. Missed. It was Erling Haaland who opened the scoring (69th), foxing the surfaces. Neymar answered him, after a festival of Kylian Mbappé on the side (75th). The goal of the draw? Still missed. With an exceptional strike from 25 meters, Haaland, again, gave back the advantage to his own (77th). We stayed there, despite opportunities on both sides, including a Neymar bar. But in the end, the final score is rather well paid for a PSG who could have left with a more salty addition in the suitcases. A PSG who does not seem to learn from the mistakes of past years and who was, for the occasion, aligned in 3-4-3, Thomas Tuchel having abandoned his 4-4-2 to protect certain players in lack of rhythm, as Neymar and Thiago Silva. Losing choice. It should also be noted that Paris-SG played twice as many matches as its German opponent in 2020, not to mention the atmosphere of the Westfalenstadion. So many extenuating circumstances for Red and Blue who will have to do better, much better on the return.
The Parc des Princes behind closed doors, advantage Dortmund?
For the first time since 2010, Paris Saint-Germain will play a match behind closed doors in its Parc des Princes. “We will have to play without our supporters. In a match like that, a return match, it's super important to create a special atmosphere, a tension, a pressure on our opponent, ”plague Thomas Tuchel. This is clearly "a handicap" for the club in the capital, as the German coach still stressed. And in terms of sports equity, we will come back ... But public health obviously comes before everything else. In addition, this kind of context is also disturbing for both teams. To see who will accommodate it best. In a sense, it can also encourage Parisian players to be even more united when faced with what they may consider an injustice. Reverse psychology. Note that the quarter-finals (go April 7 or 8 and return April 14 or 15) will also be affected by the ban on gatherings of more than 1000 people imposed by the government, in the event of qualification of the PSG.
PSG with Kylian Mbappé and Thiago Silva?
This is THE big question. If they are part of the Paris group selected by Thomas Tuchel, Kylian Mbappé and Thiago Silva remain nonetheless uncertain. The former suffers from angina, while the latter is recovering from a thigh injury. "We will decide (Wednesday) morning," said Tuchel simply on Tuesday. Ander Herrera, Colin Dagba and Abdou Diallo are not called for PSG-BVB. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting is not entered on the list in C1. On the German side, Marco Reus and Thomas Delaney are absent.
What do the precedents say in European cups?
Losing 2-1 on the road is not a bad result in the first leg of a double confrontation in the European Cup. Neymar's goal at Westfalenstadion indeed changes everything and opens up the field of possibilities for PSG. Out of all the historical precedents in the European Cup, since 1970-71, just under half of the clubs beaten 2-1 on the outward journey have managed to qualify on the return. Specifically, 49.3% of qualifications after a 2-1 away defeat. We even pass the 55% chance mark if we only consider the Champions League.
What has Borussia done since the first leg?
Three matches, three victories (Bremen, Frankfurt, Mönchengladbach), no injuries and a ghost, Julian Brandt. In fact, the balance sheet of Borussia is very clearly positive. A Borussia who was thought to be feverish on the move and irretrievably condemned to play the attack to the limit. Except that, like the first leg against Paris Saint-Germain, Lucien Favre's team now has a more serious, united and solid face. Only one goal conceded on the three matches since Paris. A pragmatism that works in export, with two of these three wins won far from the Westfalenstadion, the latest of which was due to a shock from the top of the table against Borussia Mönchengladbach (2-1). In summary, everything is fine in Dortmund. Note that PSG has also postponed its three matches since the first leg (Bordeaux, Dijon, Lyon). Parisians deprived of a last rehearsal with the postponement, at the last minute, of the match in Strasbourg on Saturday.
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