Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid will meet at Parc des Princes on Wednesday, both sides struggling to live up to expectations in this year’s Champions League.
Although the two teams have never faced each other in Europe, their managers are no strangers to competition. Luis Enrique and Diego Simeone have crossed paths 14 times before, with Enrique having the upper hand with nine wins to Simeone’s three.
PSG started their Champions League campaign with a narrow 1-0 win over debutants Girona but have since managed just one point from their last two matches. After losing 2-0 to Arsenal in London, they came from behind to secure a 1-1 draw at home to PSV Eindhoven, with Achraf Hakimi scoring the equalizer.
Remarkably, 12 of PSG's last 14 goals in the competition have come in the second half, highlighting their tendency to come alive after the break.
Luis Enrique will be looking for a more complete performance from his team in this crucial game. Since arriving in Paris, the former Barcelona coach has won just six of his 15 Champions League matches, with a disappointing 40% win rate the lowest of any PSG manager with at least 10 games in the competition.
Currently three points adrift of the top eight, PSG cannot afford another slip-up if they hope to secure an automatic spot in the last 16. On the domestic front, however, they are in impressive form, sitting top of Ligue 1 and still unbeaten after 10 matches.
Their latest victory came in a 1-0 win over Lens on Saturday, courtesy of an early goal from Ousmane Dembélé. PSG have been dominant in France, with eight wins from their first 10 league games, and they are particularly tough to beat at home.
Atletico Madrid will be the 10th different Spanish team PSG has faced in Europe, but their own Champions League campaign has been far from smooth. After a promising start with a 2-1 win over RB Leipzig,
Diego Simeone's side suffered a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Benfica and then lost 3-1 at home to Lille last month. Their failure to convert chances and vulnerability to counter-attacks have left them with just three points from three matches so far.
Atletico’s record in away games in Europe is concerning, with just one win in their last 10 Champions League outings — a 3-1 victory at Feyenoord last season. In fact, they’ve lost seven of those 10 games, showing that their typically cautious, defensive approach isn't as effective away from home.
Currently sitting just outside the top 24 in the standings, Atletico are under pressure to finish in the playoff spots. Simeone, whose methods have been increasingly questioned, will be hoping to avoid a third consecutive defeat and get his side back on track in Paris.
Domestically, Atletico are doing better, having won 2-0 against Las Palmas on Sunday. Giuliano Simeone and Alexander Sorloth scored to lift the team to third place in La Liga, but they know they must improve in Europe if they are to make the knockout stages once again.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
Luis Enrique made a couple of bold decisions at the weekend, notably dropping first-choice goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in favor of Matvei Safonov and recalling Marco Asensio to the starting lineup.
Asensio’s return meant the end of the experiment that had seen Ousmane Dembélé play as a false nine, so expect the French winger to shift back to his usual position on the right flank. Bradley Barcola, who recently scored his eighth Ligue 1 goal of the season, will also play in the attacking third alongside them.
Paris Saint-Germain will still be without striker Gonçalo Ramos, who is sidelined with an ankle injury he picked up in August. He’s joined on the injury list by Presnel Kimpembe (Achilles) and Lucas Hernandez (ACL), all of whom will miss the trip to Milan.
Atletico Madrid's attack could feature Giuliano Simeone once again, but Antoine Griezmann, Ángel Correa, and Alexander Sorloth are all in contention for a spot in the starting XI.
One player to watch for Atleti is Julian Álvarez, who has been directly involved in 13 goals in just 20 Champions League appearances, despite averaging only 50 minutes per match. However, he’s yet to make much of an impact away from home, with just one goal and one assist in eight away games.
Atletico’s injury list is also growing, with Robin Le Normand (head), Marcos Llorente (thigh), and César Azpilicueta (calf) all ruled out. Thomas Lemar remains a doubt, though Pablo Barrios started in Sunday’s win after recovering from a muscle strain.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:
Safonov; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes; Zaire-Emery, Vitinha, Neves; Dembele, Asensio, Barcola
Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:
Oblak; Molina, Witsel, Gimenez, Reinildo; De Paul, Koke, Barrios, Lino; Alvarez, Griezmann
EXPERT PREDICTION
Paris Saint Germain 2-1 Atletico Madrid
In this clash of youth versus experience, PSG’s rising stars are likely to come out on top. Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, seem to be in the midst of an identity crisis and have struggled to show their best form away from home.
With only Inter Milan fielding an older average lineup this season, Atletico appear to be a team in decline.
