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After a brief hiatus, European football is back again to colour up the days of football fanatics all across the world. The Round of 16, which will begin in less than sixteen hours as AS Roma host FC Porto at the Stadio Olimpico, while French mavericks Paris Saint Germain (PSG) travel to the iconic Old Trafford to play English heavyweights Manchester United.
Let us focus on the action in the latter game, and take a look at how things may pan out between PSG and United in the first leg of the competition. For the readers' information, this is also going to be the first time ever, that PSG will play United in a competitive fixture.
Season so far
Recent form:
United WWDWW
PSG WWLWW
Both teams have been facing contrasting situations in their respective leagues so far this season. While PSG is easily outpacing any of their opponents on their way to their sixth title in seven years, United faces tough competition from the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal to even stay in the top-4. Despite that, it needs to be mentioned as to how their fortunes have turned well since former United star player Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took charge after former coach Jose Mourinho's sacking.
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Solskjaer has already led United to more Premier League wins than Mourinho in the ongoing season, and the side currently enjoys an 11-game unbeaten streak since his first game as manager, a 5-1 thrashing of Crystal Palace on 22nd December 2018. PSG meanwhile, stay on top of the Ligue 1 charts, with 19 wins, 2 draws, and a solitary loss, and with 59 points, 10 points more than second-placed LOSC Lille.
In the group stage of the UCL, PSG topped Group C that also featured Liverpool, Napoli and Red Star Belgrade. PSG had three wins and two draws from six games, and 11 points in total. While Liverpool advanced along with PSG, Napoli was transferred to the Europa League.
Manchester United, meanwhile, came second just behind Juventus in Group H, with three wins and a draw from six games (10 points). While both teams advanced, third-placed Valencia moved to the Europa League, while Young Boys who ended up at the bottom, got eliminated.
PSG scored the most goals by any team in the group stages (17 from 6), while 4 out of the 7 goals scored by United came after the 85th minute. Old Trafford saw only two goals in three games being scored against the home team, in the UCL so far this season.
Head-to-head record
As mentioned earlier, neither side has a head-to-head record against each other, as this will be the first time when both teams face off in any competition. Hence let us take into account, the overall balance between English and French sides in the UCL.
Four out of the last five such situations in Europe's prime event have seen the French team advance and the English team getting knocked out. But the team on this side this time is Manchester United who is yet to be defeated by any travelling French side in any European competition (Wins 10, Draws 4). In the UCL, only twice have French teams avoided defeat at Old Trafford, Monaco in March 1998 (a 1-1 draw) and LOSC Lille in October 2005 (a goalless draw).
PSG meanwhile, have won only one of their last 10 encounters against English oppositions in all competitions (Draws 4, Losses 5). Their last win came in March 2016, a 2-1 win against Chelsea that saw them advance through in the 2015-16 UCL.
United have only won one of its latest nine UCL knockout games, their solitary win coming way back in a 3-0 rout of Olympiacos in March 2014. PSG will be playing in their seventh successive year of UCL round-of-16 games, the fourth-best streak in the whole of the event's history, after Real Madrid (22), Barcelona (15) and Bayern Munich (11).
What to expect?
At the time when the draw was initially announced, the eventual result looked like a no-brainer with the French giants easily expected to complete a thorough work off their opponents. A full-strength PSG side that features Gianluigi Buffon, Thiago Silva, Marquinhos, Dani Alves, Layvin Kurzava, Marco Verratti, Adrien Rabiot, Angel di Maria, Kylian Mbappe, Edinson Cavani and Neymar, with an equally efficient bench-strength in Julian Draxler, Adrien Rabiot, Thomas Meunier, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting among others was surely bound to give United a very stiff competition.
But fortunes have slightly changed, with Neymar's foot injury, Cavani's hip problem and Meunier's concussion keeping three of PSG's best players away from the action. Verratti's poor record of discipline, along with a chance of getting suspended makes matters tenser. Neymar is expected to make a return only in April, and so he will miss the return fixture as well.
As far as United are concerned, Ole and co. can believe that there could have been no better time for them to face Paris, given their golden run of form as mentioned earlier. They will be able to field their best side as well, as only Antonio Valencia and Matteo Damian remain potential absentees due to their ongoing tryst with the treatment room. Last time around, Jose Mourinho was overly obsessed with defense even at home and they eventually got knocked out after a harrowing loss to Sevilla at home, but with Ole in charge, it is expected that defense won't be given any more importance than attack.
United have broken into the top-four in the Premier League, but their chances remain unfancied in the bigger stage in Europe. Nevertheless, it is definitely bound to be a cracker of a contest, given the fort that is Old Trafford, given the colossal figures United still are at their home and given how PSG can turn tables on their day at any corner of the world.
Where to watch
Indian viewers can watch the game live on Sony Ten 2 and Ten 2HD, or via the Sony LIV app starting 1:30 am IST, February 13th. International viewers can watch the game live on BT Sport 2 starting 8:00 pm GMT, February 12th.
