When the Champions League last-16 draw was made, few football insiders or fans gave Manchester United any hope of progressing. Two months later and one managerial change, and the Red Devils have far more of a chance of progressing to the last eight than ever before.
Add in the current injury crisis at Paris Saint-Germain, and the Red Devils’ chances of winning their tie look better by the day.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revitalised Manchester United. The Sir Alex Ferguson-influenced coach has turned the club around moving them up the league table. Despite using the same players that Jose Mourinho failed to develop or get the best out of, Solskjaer has a squad in-form heading into Tuesday’s Champions league first leg, Manchester United thrashed Fulham 3-0 in the Premier League on Saturday. Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba are in incredible form and both have plenty to prove in the Champions League.
PSG are without Neymar yet again. The Brazilian has once again suffered an injury when his team needs him the most which is a reoccurring story. Striker Edinson Cavani is a major doubt for the first leg with a thigh injury limiting PSG’s goalscoring options. On Sunday, it was reported Cavani will miss the game although other news outlets have stated he could still feature. Kylian Mbappe and Angel Di Maria will have the weight of PSG’s attack on their shoulders should Cavani be absent.
PSG manager Thomas Tuchel has other headaches. Midfielder Marco Verratti played over the weekend after an ankle injury, but he isn’t 100 percent fit. The club’s owner and sporting director had forced Tuchel to freeze midfielder Adrien Rabiot out of the squad due to him leaving PSG on a free transfer in the summer. After Tuchel’s complaints, they have finally allowed the experienced midfielder to re-join the first team. It seems things could be unravelling for PSG.
Major sportsbooks had listed PSG as odds-on favourites when the draw was made. Those odds have shifted over the last few weeks as Manchester United surged and PSG wilted due to injuries.
Solskjaer has been in charge of nine league games at Manchester United. Tuesday’s fixture will be his biggest challenge yet. But in those nine league games the Norwegian caretaker has won eight times. In seven of those fixtures, Manchester United have scored 2.0 goals or more. PSG have gone three Ligue 1 games without Neymar, suffering a loss to Lyon in that time. The club did win twice, but struggled to find goals recently. They needed a 42nd minute penalty at the weekend to beat Bordeaux. They have scored just two goals in their last two games.
Tuesday night’s match will be an exciting affair. The big money Parisians who continue to underperform in the Champions league will battle the resurgent Mancunians. Both clubs have a lot to prove. Can PSG win without Neymar? Is Mbappe the real deal? Are Manchester United as good as they appear in the Premier League? A lot of storylines will be played out on Tuesday night.