We have reached the semi-final stage of the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League. As with the quarter-finals of the competition this season, the semi-finals will be played as a one off match at a neutral venue in Portugal. The first semi-final to be played is between RB Leipzig of Germany and Paris Saint-Germain of France on the 18th of August at the Estádio da Luz, Lisbon.
This is a huge occasion for both teams but for RB Leipzig, it is totally unexpected. This season is only the second time in the clubs history they have participated in the Champions League and they qualified for the knockout stage by finishing top of a group containing Lyon, Benfica, and Zenit Saint Petersburg.
Into the knockout stages and RB Leipzig comfortably saw off the challenge of Tottenham Hotspur, 4-0 on aggregate before meeting Atletico Madrid in the quarter-final. Despite coming into the game as the underdogs, RB Leipzig performed well and won the game 2-1 thanks to a late goal by Tyler Adams.
Trends show RB Leipzig are unbeaten in their last 7 Champions League games and they have won 5 of those matches. RB Leipzig have scored 2 or more goals 6 times across their last 7 Champions League games. However, they have struggled to keep clean sheets having conceded goals in 3 of their last 5 matches in the competition.
Paris Saint-Germain looked to be heading out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage as they were trailing Atalanta 1-0 going into the 90th minute. Not only did PSG managed to score an equaliser, they found the winning goal without the need to go into extra time. It is the first time since 1994/95 that PSG have reached this stage of the competition and they will be feeling confident about their chances of playing in their first final.
PSG came top of a group containing Real Madrid, Club Brugge and Galatasaray before seeing off a good Borussia Dortmund team 3-2 on aggregate. Then came the one-off quarter final match against Atalanta and trends show PSG have won 7 of their last 9 matches in the Champions League. They have scored at least one goal in each of their last 17 Champions League games and have seen over 2.5 goals scored in 4 of their last 5 matches in the competition.
Team news and RB Leipzig are without the injured Ibrahima Konate. New signings Hwang Hee-Chan and Benjamin Henrichs are ineligible so Julian Nagelsmann may name the same starting XI from the previous game.
PSG will be without goalkeeper Keylor Navas who has been ruled out due to injury. Sergio Rico will take his place in the team. Layvin Kurzawa is injured but both Kylian Mbappe and Marco Verratti could return to the starting XI. Angel Di Maria is also available following suspension.
PSG come into this match as the clear favourites and should have enough to win the game if they play to their best level. However, expect RB Leipzig to test their defence and we could see both teams scoring.