Match Details:

Manchester City vs PSG

Date: 5th May 2021

Time: 00:30 IST

Venue: Etihad Stadium (Manchester)

Competition: UEFA Champions League

Preview:

In this fixture, we will see Manchester City host PSG for the second leg of the UCL Semi-final. The last time around, Manchester City played against Crystal Palace & ended with a 0-2 win away from home. Guardiola fielded a full rotated side against Palace with all the players fresh. City hardly had another trouble finding their way around Crystal Palace. They managed twice as many attempts as Palace & came close to opening in the first half but got denied by an offside call. They scored in the second half & had two goals before the hour mark. Once again a rotated squad that featured in France will play in the second leg.

PSG played Lens & were lucky to get a 1-2 win at home. Lens were equally as good as PSG and had near misses & made brilliant efforts to keep PSG at the bay. Paris took the lead in the first half through Neymar while Lens had near misses from Fofana & Medina. Lens took the fight to the Champions in the second half but once again got nothing but near misses. PSG once again scored this time Marquinhos who rose above the rest to get the goal. The worry ahead for the second leg to Manchester will be how Lens still managed to create chances & this time got a goal through Ganago. PSG held off till the final whistle & kept this place in the title race. If they will still stay in contention for Europe remains to been seen as they travel to Manchester with 2 away got disadvantage.

Key Stats & Info:

• Both teams are in almost flawless form as they have 4 wins & a loss in the last 5 games.
• Man City have won their last 6 matches in the Champions League.
• Manchester City have won 6 of their last 8 home games & PSG have won the last 8 of their last 8 away games.

Expected XI:

Manchester City

Ederson Moraes (GK), Zinchenko, R. Dias, J. Stones, K. Walker, K. De Bryune, Rodrigo, I. Gundogan, P. Foden, Silva, R. Mahrez.

PSG

Navas (GK), Marquinhos, P. Kimpembe, Florenzi, A. Herrera, Paredes, Bakker, Di Maria, M. Verratti, Neymar, M. Icardi.

Key Players:

Riyad Mahrez (MCI): In absence of a dedicated central attacking threat, the presence of this 30-year old Algerian international has been assuring for City. Mahrez is deployed prominently as a right attacker, AMR or RM & at times centrally as a striker. Mahrez is a fine dribbler with excellent ball retention which allows him to keep the ball as well as twist & turn to create shooting room in the box. He averages 1.3 dribbles per game & won 3.3 ground duels per game. His thorough balls & tactical reading of the game facilitate him to thread key passes, his per game average for key passes is at 1.9. Clinical finishing in front of the goal saw him convert 10% of the time & an average of 2.1 shots per game. Mahrez had a key pass & a goal in their game against PSG last week. His dribbles were all successful & his presence spelled trouble for PSG on the right-hand side. He has scored 2 goals and provided 2 assists in Champions League

De Bruyne (MCI): The 29-year-old Belgium international plays the brains for City along with D. Silva, his understanding of the game has made him one the most creative CAMs in the game. Last season he was the highest assist provider in the entire PL. De Bruyne has exceptional skill in threading key passes, sending down through balls & causing trouble with shots from range & direct free kicks. His crosses & set pieces are dead accurate & he himself possesses a clinical finishing allowing him to put away chances quite well. So far he has scored 3 goals & chipped in 4 assists in the UCL this season. His opening goal against PSG gave City second winds as their performance boosted significantly compared to the second half. His through balls & key passes were a constant nuisance for Paris.

Neymar (PSG): The 28-year old Brazilian international is no one the hottest football player & has well-known exploits. Neymar is deployed in attacking midfield as a winger or CAM. His excellence in almost all the aspects makes him a clear standout, being an excellent dribbler he slides through the defenses like water. His ball control allows him to put in dead on free kicks, accurate set pieces & precise corners. Being a well-known finisher he is, he rarely misses a chance. This season he scored 6 goals & provided 3 assists for them in UCL. His performance against Lens was sensational. He made up to 7 key passes & created almost 2 big chances for others, once Dialo missed & Sarabia missed the second one. He himself scored one & assisted for Marquinhos. Overall he made 3 long passes, dropped 3 crosses, managed 3 shot attempt & hit the woodwork once.

Captain & Vice-Captain Picks:

• R Mahrez
• K De Bryune
• Neymar
• M Icardi
• P Foden

Source for Stats:

https://www.transfermarkt.co.in/

https://www.whoscored.com/

https://int.soccerway.com/

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