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History will be made when RB Leipzig and Paris Saint-Germain clash in the first semi-final of the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night as whichever team emerges as the winner will be making their maiden appearance in the final of the prestigious tournament on Friday.
Kylian Mbappe is expected to to be named in the starting XI by the Ligue 1 giants after he made an appearance as a second-half substitute in their win over Atalanta.
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The showdown at Estádio da Luz, Lisbon will bring two clubs with vastly different strategies but a similar growth trajectory against one another. While PSG have made one marquee signing after the other in recent years, RB Leipzig's philosophy of signing young talents and developing them has remained constant since their foundation in 2009.
It will be the first-ever competitive meeting between the two sides, which will also involve the reunion of Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann with his former mentor Thomas Tuchel, the current PSG manager.
Both the sides play a fast-paced and highly entertaining game, so this promises to be an exciting matchup. With the stage set for two highly entertaining sides to clash for the first time in their history, we take a look at five key players from both teams to keep an eye on.
5 key players to watch out for in PSG's semi-final tie against RB Leipzig
#5 Dayot Upamecano (RB Leipzig)
Many keen observers of the game have tipped Dayot Upamecano to be one of the best central defenders in the years to come but he might've already announced himself as one of the best players in his position with a superb performance against Atletico Madrid last time around.
The 21-year-old defender dominated Diego Costa, one of the most bullish strikers of our generation, almost without breaking a sweat. Despite pressure from the Brazil-born Spain international, he was was calm, strong, assured in possession and didn't give the ball away cheaply.
The towering centre-back won more than 60 per cent of his one-on-one battles with opponents in the Bundesliga this term and came out on top in 68 per cent of aerial challenges.
The player often called 'Beast' in the dressing room finished with a 100 per cent dribble and tackle success rate against Atletico Madrid. He had almost 100 touches and maintained an impressive 92 per cent passing accuracy.
There's a long list of defenders who've been beaten by Kylian Mbappe by his pace and quick feet, but his compatriot Upamecano is also known for his unbelievable pace, and it will be interesting to see how he handles the now fully-fit winger.
#4 Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain)
Although PSG have splashed a lot of cash on new signings over the last decade, one glaring drawback of the club's transfer policy has been the lack of versatile players in its ranks.
Luckily for them, they have a technically sound defender in Marquinhos, who can also start at the full-back slot and even in the midfield. He has impressed in his few starts as a defensive midfielder this season and assumed that role in their stunning comeback win over Atalanta, where he even managed to get on the scoresheet by scoring the equaliser in the 90th minute.
In Champions League fixtures, where he has mostly started in the midfield, he won 3 aerial duels per game, had 1.7 tackles per 90 and was only dribbled past 0.3 times every game.
Regardless of the role in which starts in the semi-final, he will be the main defensive figure for the Parisians and will have to be extra vigilant against the young and energetic Leipzig side, given that Keylor Navas, the three-time UCL winner, is out of the game due to an injury.
Also See: 6 managers with the most Champions League trophies
#3 Marcel Sabitzer (RB Leipzig)
Marcel Sabitzer might not be the first name that comes to mind when one thinks of influential players at Leipzig but his tremendous contribution to the team, especially in the final third cannot be overlooked. He is the player with the highest goal contributions in the competition for the German club, with four goals and three assists.
The Austrian player usually starts in the No.10 role or as a wide midfielder on the right, which allows him to make the most of his pace, pinpoint crossing ability and intelligent utilisation of space.
He was impressive in their win over Atletico and grabbed an assist for Leipzig's first goal with an inviting cross. He then methodically exploited the gaps between the opponents to start the move for the winner.
Sabitzer might as well prove to be the X-Factor for Nagelsmann in this crucial fixture, and PSG should not underestimate him.
#2 Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)
Kylian Mbappe was only on the pitch for about 30 minutes in the quarter-final fixture against Atalanta after coming on as a substitute in the second half. However, they proved to be the most crucial minutes of the game for PSG as his presence added a much-needed speed and drive to the squad.
He relieved Neymar of some of the burden of orchestrating PSG's attacks and eventually bagged the assist for Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting's injury-time winner.
The player couldn't help himself from taking a sly dig at Manchester City when another Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyon defeated them in the quarter-final to make it into the last four.
Though he may not back to full fitness yet, even a cameo from the 21-year-old prodigy is enough to turn the game on its head, as we have seen in the previous fixture.
#1 Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain)
Mbappe's partner-in-crime Neymar will be the centre of attention when PSG take on Leipzig. The former Barcelona star delivered an all-round attacking performance against Atalanta as he was the architect of PSG's famous win, playing a crucial role in both of their goals just two minutes and 29 seconds apart.
He took it upon himself to lead his side's attack in the absence of Mbappe and played an amazing spell of football in which he did not afford any breathing space to the Atalanta defenders. He is one of the world's best wingers and acted like one against the stubborn Italian side.
While he is only human and missed a couple of one-on-one chances early on in the game, it did not let his intensity drop. He has been instrumental in PSG's first semi-final appearance in 25 years and if he can lead them to the final as well, people might finally stop bringing his massive £198 million transfer fee up to troll him.
Also See: RB Leipzig vs Paris Saint-Germain prediction, preview, team news and more | UEFA Champions League 2019-20
