BEVERLY HILLS, April 28, (THEWILL) – The impressive defensive track record of Pep Guardiola’s English Premier League Manchester City side will come against one of its toughest challenges yet this season when the men from the Etihad face the lethal striking force of Ligue 1’s Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-finals fixture at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.
Guardiola’s opportunity to banish the ghost of repeatedly failing to reach the final and win the continental trophy since leaving Barcelona a decade ago is within his grasp with only PSG standing before a debut final for his side against either of Chelsea or Real Madrid if he can lead them beyond the obstacle of last year’s finalists.
Yet, Guardiola has the fact that his side remains unbeaten in Europe this season with only one draw standing in his favour. He goes to the fixture with the confidence of that stat buoyed by the strength of a defensive advantage that conceded just once in the group stages and once again in the double-header against a side as dangerous with goal-scoring as Borussia Dortmund.
Notwithstanding, PSG represents a tougher contender than any they had previously faced. Their path to the semi-finals was comparatively sterner than City’s. Yet, coming through a tough group, PSG convincingly overcame Catalan giants Barcelona while also comfortably setting defending champions Bayern Munich aside to reach their second semi-finals in as many years.
It goes without saying that Guardiola’s charges have their work cut out for them. The tactician that Guardiola is will not need convincing that damage limitation of the threats posed by Les Parisiens duo of the Brazilian playmaker Neymar and French hitman Kylian Mbappe will be an extreme necessity.
But, it is the nature of football that this will be no secret to Mauricio Pochettino’s side, who are going to prepare, not only for that but essentially how to fault that plot to give their chances of qualifying over the two legs a major boost. They will do their utmost to give Neymar the space to operate and furnish Mbappe with the assists to deliver the goals.
Mbappe has demonstrated how lethal he is in front of goal this season as Barca fans will not forget in a hurry. His 37 goals in 42 appearances in all competitions this season have underlined his form and positively contributed to carrying PSG far in the competition. Four against Barcelona and two against Bayern and one will not bet against him not finding the net against City.
As for Neymar, the stylish baller has had to contend with injuries that limited his involvement this season but each time he has played, the threat he poses to PSG’s advantage has been immense. This was no clearer seen as when he controlled the pace of the quarter-final fixture against Bayern and provided the play for the goals.
But, City are not hamstrung. Guardiola has Kevin De Bruyne back in the lineup and the Belgian rises to the occasion the higher the stakes. In his false nine position, there are no limits to where he can take the game. With Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez as his wingmen, De Bruyne is Guardiola’s linchpin in the team setup.
For neutral fans, this promises to be a real entertainment of beautiful football. For fans of either side, rooting for their team’s advantage, a thrilling, edge-of-the-seat encounter awaits. And like Real Madrid versus Chelsea yesterday, it can swing either way.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
