PSG vs Real Madrid UEFA Champions League 18/09/2019

PSG vs Real Madrid - Competition: UEFA Champions League
Date: 18 September 2019 - Kick-off Time: 20:00 BST
Venue: Parc des Princes

PSG have enjoyed a typically promising start to the new season in France. Thomas Tuchel's men have won 6 and lost 1 of their 7 competitive games so far, building up a 2 point lead at the top of the Ligue 1 table in the process. They only beat lowly visitors Strasbourg at the weekend with a 92nd-minute Neymar goal. Les Parisiens were knocking out in unbelievable fashion once again last year. 2-0 up after the first leg at Old Trafford and heavy favourites to go through against an unproven Manchester UTD side, they slumped out with a 3-1 defeat at the Parc des Princes sealed by a last-gasp penalty for the Red Devils. Two seasons ago, these two sides collided in the UCL round of 16, which saw Los Blancos winning 5-2 on aggregate on their way to the title. PSG have not lost a home group stage clash in the Champions League since 2004 with that run stretching over 21 matches.
Thomas Tuchel is also missing Neymar, with the Brazilian carrying over a three-game ban after his post-match reaction following PSG’s defeat to Manchester United in the round of 16 last season. Strikers Kylian Mbappe and Edison Cavani are sidelined. The German manager will also be without Julian Draxler, Thilo Kehrer and Colin Dagba, so new signing Mauro Icardi could make his debut from the off for the French side. The Inter Milan loanee should be supported by a trio of offensive midfielders - Angel Di Maria, Pablo Sarabia and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting. The likes of Idrissa Gueye and Marco Verratti are likely to start in midfield, with Ander Herrera and Marquinhos viable alternatives. In defense, Abdou Diallo and Presnel Kimpembe are in contention for a starting berth as centre-back.

Real have remained unbeaten so far in their La Liga campaign. After winning their opening match, the Blancos recorded two consecutive draws. Valladolid denied them three points with an 88th-minute equaliser to cancel out Karim Benzema's late opener, and they were twice behind at Villarreal before grabbing a 2-2 draw. After the international break, Zinedine Zidane's men returned last weekend with a hard fought 3-2 victory over Levante at home. The Galacticos also exited the Champions League in disastrous fashion last season. Returning to the Bernabeu with a 2-1 lead from the first leg in Amsterdam, Zinedine Zidane watched his side capitulate against Ajax's young pretenders, who beat them 4-1.
Real Madrid team captain Sergio Ramos and Nacho, are suspended for the Paris match, meaning that Eder Militao will partner Raphael Varane at the heart of the back. Isco, Federico Valverde, Marco Asensio, and Luka Modric will also miss the match because of injuries. As a result, James Rodriguez should be safe to start for Zinedine Zidane's side. Up front, Eden Hazard and Gareth Bale are not 100% fit, meaning that Vinicius Junior and Lucas Vazquez are favoruite to flank Karim Benzema. Thibaut Courtois will hope to fend off competition from summer signing Alphonse Areola to start in goal.

PSG last 5 matches:

11/08/19 PSG 3 – 0 Nimes
18/08/19 Rennes 2 – 1 PSG
25/08/19 PSG 4 – 0 Toulouse
30/08/19 Metz 0 – 2 PSG
14/09/19 PSG 1 – 0 Strasbourg

Real Madrid last 5 matches:

11/08/19 Roma P 2 – 2 Real Madrid
17/08/19 Celta Vigo 1 – 3 Real Madrid
24/08/19 Real Madrid 1 – 1 Real Valladolid
01/09/19 Villarreal 2 – 2 Real Madrid
14/09/19 Real Madrid 3 – 2 Levante

PSG vs Real Madrid Starting Lineups

PSG (4-2-3-1): Navas; Meunier, Thiago Silva, Diallo, Kurzawa; Verratti, Gueye; Di Maria, Sarabia, Choupo-Moting; Icardi
Real Madrid (4-3-3): Courtois; Carvajal, Varane, Eder Militao, Mendy; Casemiro, Rodriguez, Kroos; Vazquez, Vinicius, Benzema

 

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Tottenham vs Liverpool UEFA Champions League 01-06-2019

Tottenham vs Liverpool - Competition: UEFA Champions League
Date: 1 June 2019 - Kick-off Time: 20:00 BST
Venue: Estadio Wanda Metropolitano, Madrid

Tottenham team produced a remarkable comeback in the semi-final of the UCL. They were trailing 2-0 against Ajax at the Amsterdam Arena and 3-0 on aggregate before Lucas Moura sealed a last-gasp hat-trick to eliminate the Eredivisie champions, with the third goal scored in the 95th minute. They escaped the stage group because of goal difference, and only managed to earn one point from their first three group games. Spurs' recent form is really poor as Mauricio Pochettino's men have lost 5 of their last 8 outings and only kept one clean sheet in the proces (a narrow win over Brighton).
Tottenham will be hoping that Kane is fit to play in this final, if only as a substitute. Son Heung Min is expected to lead the line, supported by three offensive midfielders - Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen and Lucas Moura. With Harry Winks out through injury and Eric Dier not 100% fit, Moussa Sissoko and Victor Wanyama are likely to anchor the midfield. Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen are expected to form the central pair in a 4-2-3-1 starting system. while Kieran Trippier and Danny Rose should be the full backs. Ben Davies and Davinson Sanchez are other options at the back, while Serge Aurier remain out through injury.

Liverpool also produced a miracle to reach this UCL final in Madrid. The Reds were 3-0 down against FC Barcelona after the first leg in Spain but they hammered 4-0 the Catalans at Anfield despite playing without Salah and Firmino. As to the Premier League, Jurgen Klopp's men were narrowly pipped by Manchester City in the race for the title, although they lose just once in the entire campaign. The Reds' last match ended in a 2-0 win over Wolves on the final day of the season, meaning that Jurgen Klopp's men finished the league with 9 straight wins. As to direct encounters, the Reds have only lost one of their last 14 games played against Tottenham.
Roberto Firmino missed the final games of the season but is expected to be fit for this game. The Brazilian should complete the usual attacking trio along with Sadio Manè and Mo Salah, with the unexpected hero Divock Origi likely to play at some stage. The three man midfield will be formed by Fabinho (favourite over James Milner), Jordan Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum since Naby Keita is still injured. No changes are expected at the back, where Joel Matip should get the nod over Dejan Lovren and join the likes of Andrew Robertson, Virgil Van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Tottenham (4-2-3-1): Lloris; Trippier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose; Sissoko, Wanyama; Eriksen, Lucas Moura, Alli; Son.
Liverpool (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Henderson, Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino, Mane.

Tottenham last 5 matches:

27/04/19 Tottenham 0 – 1 West Ham
30/04/19 Tottenham 0 – 1 Ajax
04/05/19 Bournemouth 1 – 0 Tottenham
08/05/19 Ajax 2 – 3 Tottenham
12/05/19 Tottenham 2 – 2 Everton

Liverpool last 5 matches:

26/04/19 Liverpool 5 – 0 Huddersfield
01/05/19 Barcelona 3 – 0 Liverpool
04/05/19 Newcastle 2 – 3 Liverpool
07/05/19 Liverpool 4 – 0 Barcelona
12/05/19 Liverpool 2 – 0 Wolverhampton

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Bayern Munich vs Liverpool Champions League - 13-03-2019

Bayern Munich vs Liverpool - Competition: UEFA Champions League
 

Bayern team have retaken top spot in the German Bundesliga on goal difference for the first time since September, winning their last two games against M'Gladbach and Wolfsburg by 5-1 and 6-0 scorelines respectively. The Bavarians are on a 7 match winning streak at the Allianz Arena and also boast a dominant record on home turf in this competition, winning 21 of 26 matches since 2014/15. This year, in a potentially tricky Champions League group, Kovacs men were twice held to draws by Ajax but picked up four wins in their other four games to finish top of the group.
The Bavarians are still without two suspended players: Thomas Muller - sent off for a poor tackle on Ajax's Nicolas Tagliafico in the final round of group matches - and right-back Joshua Kimmich. Rafinha will come in at right-back, while Serge Gnabry may play as right winger to enable Franck Ribery to replace Muller. Of course, Robert Lewandowski will lead the line. Hummels and Niklas Sule should be the starting centre backs, while Thiago  and Javi Martinez are likely to anchor the midfield. The likes of Corentin Tolisso and Kingsley Coman remain out through injury while Arjen Robben is a major doubt.

 

Liverpool's EPL title charge has stuttered over the course of the past few weeks. They played out successive away draws against Manchester United and Everton, both finishing 0-0, and beat Watford (5-0) and Burnley (4-2 last weekend) in the last two home fixtures. The Reds have not been quite as ruthless going forwards in recent games. Salah & Co have only scored one away goal in this season’s UCL, and hit the net just three times in their last six on the road. The Reds may have been lacking for output in recent matches, but knowing how crucial an away goal could be decisive. On the other side of the pitch, Jurgen Klopp's men have the best defensive record in the Premier League (17 goals), and they haven't conceded more than one goal in an away game since a 2-1 English FA Cup defeat at Wolves in early January.
James Milner and Trent Alexander-Arnold should be available for selection on Wednesday despite suffering muscle tightness last time out. The former should complete the four man backline alongside Virgil Van Dijk, Joel Matip and Andre Robertson while the latter should be benched as the likes of Georginio Wijnaldum, Fabinho and Jordan Henderson are expected to start in the middle of the park. No changes are expected up front with Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Manè spearheading the attack. Adam Lallana is a viable option in midfield after a good performance last weekend. Xherdan Shaqiri and Daniel Sturridge could also play at some stage in case of need. Joe Gomez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are the only injury absentees.

 

Bayern (4-2-3-1): Neuer; Rafinha, Sule, Hummels, Alaba; Thiago, Martinez; Gnabry, James, Ribery; Lewandowski
Liverpool (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Wijnaldum, Fabinho, Henderson; Salah, Firmino, Mane

 

Date: 13 March 2019
Kick-off Time: 20:00 GMT
Venue: Allianz Arena, Munchen

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Manchester United vs PSG Champions League 12-02-2019

Manchester United vs PSG - Competition: UEFA Champions League
 

Man Utd have won 10 of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first 11 unbeaten matches in charge, including a 3-0 away win at Fulham last weekend. That result saw the Red Devils climb into the top 4, meaning that they have enjoyed a 12-point swing - in less than two months - which now leaves them one point above both Arsenal and Chelsea in the Premier League standings. Solskjaer's men engineered victories away to Tottenham and Arsenal and scored a whopping 28 goals in the process. As to the Champions League, Manchetser United finished as runners up to Juventus in Group H and 2 of their 3 wins came home and away against Young Boys.
Victor Lindelof is set to return after missing Saturday’s league game with a slight knock but may face a battle to win his place back from Phil Jones and Chris Smalling at the heart of the defence. Marcus Rashford, Ashley Young and Jesse Lingard will also return to the starting XI after being rested at the weekend while Anthony Martial has cemented a starting berth in the front trio following his stunning performance against Fulham. No changes are expected in midfield with Ander Herrera and Paul Pogba flanking Nemanja Matic. Antonio Valencia and Matteo Darmian are long-term absentees, while Marcos Rojo is the major doubt for the hosts.

PSG team may be flying clear at the top of Ligue 1, but they have had a few difficulties recently. They sit at the top the table with a 13-point lead over their nearest opponent but they went out of the League Cup at home to struggling Guingamp (1-2), suffered their first league defeat of the season earlier this month away to Lyon, and French minnows Villefranche shockingly managed to take them to extra time in the Coupe de France. As to the Champions League, Tuchel's men came though a highly competitive Group C, finishing 2 points clear of Liverpool with SSC Napoli missing out from a qualification race which went right to the wire.
Neymar is a longer-term absentee while Cavani is a major doubt and unlikely to recover from a hip injury in time to feature in this match. With Thomas Meunier also picking up a knock in that contest, PSG are likely to be depleted in a number of areas. Plus, Adrien Rabiot has been marginalised following his dispute over a contract, while January signing Leandro Paredes is still finding his feet. As a result, Marquinhos should partner the now fit Marco Verratti in the middle of the park. Dani Alves may be forced to battle for a place at right-back with Thilo Kehrer while Gianluigi Buffon may get the gloves ahead of Alphonse Areola. 

 

Manchester UTD (4-3-3): De Gea; Young, Smalling, Jones, Shaw; Herrera, Matic, Pogba; Lingard, Rashford, Martial
PSG (4-2-3-1): Buffon; Kehrer, Silva, Kimpembe, Bernat; Marquinhos, Verratti; Nkunku, Di Maria, Draxler; Mbappe

 

Date: 12 February 2019
Kick-off Time: 20:00 GMT
Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester

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