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In a huge clash in the Champions League’s Round of 16, this Wednesday sees Paris St. Germain face off with Borussia Dortmund at the Parc Des Princes, with the French champions attempting to overhaul the deficit from their 2-1 loss at the Westfalenstadion last month. The game is likely to feature a strange atmosphere - it’s being played behind closed doors due to fears of the coronavirus spreading – but regardless of that, PSG will still be hopeful of qualifying for the quarter-finals.
Thomas Tuchel’s team need at least one goal – and need to stop Dortmund from scoring in the process – and so these three players will be vital in PSG’s attempt to trigger a big second-leg comeback.
1. Kylian Mbappe
Arguably the biggest danger-man for PSG, French superstar Kylian Mbappe has been on fire throughout the 2019-20 season, scoring a total of 30 goals in 32 matches across all competitions, with 5 of those strikes – as well as 4 assists – coming in Champions League action. One of those assists, of course, came in PSG’s first-leg loss to Dortmund, as the 21-year old set up Neymar’s second-half goal.
Mbappe’s form has never really dipped throughout the current campaign; his last match saw him hammer a hat-trick past Lyon in a thumping 1-5 win in the Coupe de France, and incredibly he’s never gone for more than two matches without a goal in action for his club thus far in 2019-20.
Dortmund do have a strong defence, but the French forward’s pace and power will undoubtedly worry the likes of Mats Hummels and Lukasz Piszczek, and Die Schwarzgelben have only kept two clean sheets during Champions League competition this season – giving Mbappe strong odds of finding the net this Wednesday.
2. Idrissa Gueye
PSG obviously need to score at least one goal to make it through into the quarter-finals, but the real key to victory for them in this tie could simply be stopping Dortmund from scoring at the Parc Des Princes. Do that, and a simple 1-0 win would be enough due to the away goals rule. With that in mind, Thomas Tuchel’s side will need to stop the likes of Jadon Sancho, Erling Braut Haaland and Thorgan Hazard, hardly the easiest of tasks.
That’s why midfielder Idrissa Gueye could be so important to their cause this week. PSG will be unable to call upon the services of key defender Thiago Silva, who is injured, while defensive midfielder Marco Verratti is suspended – meaning Gueye will have an even tougher job of putting out any potential fires in the centre of the pitch.
Not that the Senegal international isn’t up to it. Since making his move from Everton to the Parc Des Princes in the summer, Gueye has been on fantastic form, with an average pass success rate of 92.4% and an average of 3.3 tackles and 1.7 interceptions per game. If he’s on top of his game this week, he could keep Dortmund’s attack quiet – allowing PSG’s frontline to do the damage in the other direction.
3. Neymar
Brazilian superstar Neymar never seems to be too far away from controversy – and how much longer he’ll be with Paris St. Germain remains a question mark given the constant links with Barcelona. Ignoring that though, the 28-year old is in the prime of his career right now and has been enjoying a fantastic season in Paris.
Neymar has scored a total of 17 goals across all competitions during the 2019-20 season, and he’s also registered 8 assists, despite only playing a total of 21 games due to some injury problems. He’s also picked up a remarkable 8 Man of the Match awards from WhoScored.com, more than any other PSG player in the current campaign.
It was the Brazilian’s beautifully-taken second-half goal in the first leg of this tie that gave Thomas Tuchel’s side hope, and of course, he has history with Champions League comebacks, too; he famously inspired Barcelona to a 6-1 victory over PSG in the 2016-17 edition of the tournament, overhauling a 4-0 first-leg loss to send La Blaugrana into the quarter-finals. If anyone can help PSG to get out of this current predicament, it’s Neymar.
