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Paris Saint-Germain vs. Manchester City
Wednesday night's Parc des Princes matchup between Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City is undoubtedly the most significant contest over matchday seven of the Champions League.
Many would have anticipated this to be a dead rubber at the start of the season, but it has since become somewhat important for both after terrible beginnings on the continent.
Previous Matches and Head-to-head
PSG still finds itself in a dangerous situation ahead of confronting the Premier League champions this week, even if they won away to Red Bull Salzburg on matchday six.
The Salzburg victory saw Luis Enrique's men earn as many victories and points as they had in their previous seven Champions League games. They stayed outside the top 24, only one position behind them with seven points.
Four points is the absolute minimum needed to guarantee a playoff spot, as a loss here would take it out of their hands before they go to Stuttgart on the last matchday.
But Salzburg's triumph has rebuilt confidence, as they had gone three games without success and then won eight consecutive games after their trip to Austria.
Having to play Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, and now Man City, PSG was dealt one of the most brutal draws of any side in the league phase; nevertheless, it is still somewhat disheartening to have only one point against the three of them before this week.
Enrique watched his team come from behind to defeat Lens 2-1 at the weekend. This result continued their amazing winning run and moved them nine points ahead at the top of Ligue 1. With the championship almost certain, they must now ensure their European campaign does not finish before the spring.
The Parisians have only won one of their seven encounters with Man City; nevertheless, in their previous meeting at the Parc des Princes, they registered only six shots the entire evening, the lowest in a home match in their Champions League history, but still won 2-0.
With only two of their five past meetings lost and among just two managers (together with Jurgen Klopp) to have defeated the City boss by three or more goals, Manager Enrique also has a good record against his opposing number, Pep Guardiola.
City's season has unfolded similarly to PSG's. A poor start in Europe has also permeated their league results, but with four victories in five games, they now seem back on track.
City has already lost back-to-back away games, their worst run since the 2011-12 season. They fell to Sporting Lisbon and Juventus, severely compromising their prospects of making it through after losing only three games in 28 on the road in the Champions League.
But after beating Salford City 8-0 in the FA Cup last weekend, City took Ipswich Town to the Portman Road Cleaners on Sunday, cruelly striking the Tractor Boys for six in the Premier League.
Though emphasizing that a late championship charge is beyond them and stressing even more the necessity of progressing in this tournament, Guardiola's players did lose two points at Brentford between those two successes.
That became obvious on Sunday when Guardiola rang the changes on the hour mark with City 5-0 up, even replacing Erling Haaland when the chance for extra goals presented itself for their top scorer.
One point above PSG, City enters matchday seven well within the playoff positions; nevertheless, Stuttgart and PSV Eindhoven might overwhelm them before they even set foot on Tuesday.
After collecting seven points from their first three games, City finds itself in this situation after a 4-1 thumping at Sporting, a catastrophic collapse at home to Feyenoord, and a poor show in Turin against Juve.
City's only victories have come against minnows Slovan Bratislava and fellow pot-four team Sparta Prague. Even though a loss against Club Brugge on matchday eight is predicted and should be sufficient to advance, losing here would make that clash rather tense for the home audience.
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Manchester City Team News
While Ousmane Dembele has also missed the past two games due to sickness, PSG will be sweating about the health of defensive duo Marquinhos and Achraf Hakimi, who have both been sidelined throughout January. Should he return?
New signing: Although PSG just registered Khvicha Kvaratskhelia on their Champions League roster before the knockout rounds, the Georgian will have a difficult challenge pushing his way into the lineup over the in-form Bradley Barcola.
Enrique also has a vast selection to make the front, with big-money acquisitions Desire Doue and Goncalo Ramos both vying for a start, most likely getting the nod.
Man City was missing Nathan Ake over the weekend due to a minor muscle issue, so Manuel Akanji and Ruben Dias should start again alongside John Stones, who has just recovered from an ankle issue with great caution.
Like Kvaratskhelia at PSG, City's new acquisitions will not be qualified to participate in their last two league phase events. Therefore, following their announcement, Omar Marmoush and Abdukodir Khusanov will have to make do with local events exclusively for the time being.
Rodri is City's sole long-term injury issue; Oscar Bobb broke his leg on the eve of the season and is already back in full training.
Our Predictions
Manchester City to win @ 2.65 on Sky247.ng
Once City gets back into its rhythm, it will be a tough opponent for anybody. They usually produce when it counts, and they will enjoy their chances of almost guaranteeing a playoff position this week with a game to spare.
If City is a level above all the opponents PSG has played during that run, their eight-game winning streak indicates that PSG will be no pushovers by any means, even if they are seated in 25th.
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