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Manchester City have one of the most talented squads in Europe but they will have their work cut out for them against Paris Saint-Germain.
Manchester City will be hoping to ride the momentum from their Carabao Cup triumph over the weekend as they travel to take on Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final tie.
Pep Guardiola will be desperate to win the UEFA Champions League, which has stayed elusive ever since he took over at Manchester City. He will be up against a familiar foe in Mauricio Pochettino. The Paris Saint-Germain manager will be keen to dispatch yet another Champions League favourite on their way to the final.
Paris Saint-Germain have been in great goalscoring form of late and Manchester City will need to dig deep in order to eke out a favourable result tonight. Without further ado, let's take a look at five reasons why Manchester City will struggle against Paris Saint-Germain tonight.
#5 Manchester City's poor record in Champions League knockout stages
This is only Manchester City's second UEFA Champions League semi-final in the last decade. Despite all their domestic success in recent seasons, Manchester City have not been able to prove their mettle in Europe's grandest competition.
The last time they made it to the semi-finals was in the 2015-16 season when they lost to Real Madrid 1-0 on aggregate. Cityzens crashed out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals in each of their last three seasons.
Pep Guardiola will be desperate to prove his doubters wrong and get this City side into the semi-final but they will have to play out of their skin to get the better of Paris Saint-Germain. Manchester City have bottled it far too many times in Europe for the occasion to inspire any confidence in them.
#4 Manchester City's form has dropped off a bit in the buildup to the game against Paris Saint-Germain
Though they have seemed unstoppable for a while since the turn of the year, chinks have started to appear in Manchester City's armour. They looked to be cruising until Manchester United dealt them a 2-0 defeat at the Etihad in early March.
Although they did seem to recover from it quite quickly, they stumbled against Leeds United, losing 2-1 to Marcelo Bielsa's side who were reduced to 10 men. A week later, Pep's side lost the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea. In fact, all of their last four wins have come by a margin of one goal.
They will definitely need to step it up if they're to make it to the Champions League finals and they will have their work cut out for them against a Paris Saint-Germain side that has enough quality to punish them for any error.
#3 Paris Saint-Germain have the momentum
As they prepare to take on Manchester City, it's worth noting that Paris Saint-Germain have been dealt some really difficult cards this season in the Champions League already.
They were faced with being kicked out in the group stages after being drawn with RB Leipzig and Manchester United. The Red Devils in fact won against PSG in Paris but Neymar and co. were able to turn it around at Old Trafford.
They made it to the knockout stages after a grueling group stage and were pitted against Barcelona, whom they saw off without any difficulties thanks to Kylian Mbappe's excellent performance. In the quarter-finals, PSG dispatched Bayern Munich who are the defending champions.
As such, it'd be fair to say that Paris Saint-Germain have the wind in their sails as they prepare to take on Manchester City. They really seem to have hit their stride in Europe and it's going to take a massive effort to stop them.
#2 Manchester City full-backs will have their hands full
Paris Saint-Germain are arguably the most menacing team on the counter-attack. Neymar's artistry coupled with the pace of Kylian Mbappe and Moise Kean make them a threat like no other. As such, Manchester City will have to constantly worry about not being thin at the back every time they venture forward.
Paris Saint-Germain's full-backs play quite an advanced role and this will help peg the Manchester City full-backs into their own half, thereby limiting their attacking options.
Paris Saint-Germain hit Barcelona and Bayern Munich on exhilarating counter-attacks and will look to do the same against Manchester City as well. They can also keep possession quite well which makes them a unique kind of threat.
#1 Neymar Jr. and Kylian Mbappe
The dream team. Two incredible footballers who have astounding vision and are second to none when it comes to their ability with the ball at their feet, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar are the kind of attacking duo that defenders have nightmares about.
Neymar produced a dazzling display in both legs against Bayern Munich and was the creative force behind Paris Saint-Germain's win in Germany, while Kylian Mbappe was just as good putting the finishing touches on it with a spectacular brace.
Neymar was arguably the best player on the pitch in the return leg, though his efforts did not bear fruit. Fortunately for Paris Saint-Germain, it didn't have to because the damage had already been done in the first leg.
Manchester City will need to produce something special to keep both Neymar and Mbappe at bay because if they cannot, they will get played off the park and will find themselves chasing the game from the start.
