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Preview: PSG welcome City for clutch UCL showdown
Welcome returns
After missing Ousmane Dembélé (flu), Marquinhos and Achraf Hakimi (knock) at the weekend, Luis Enrique will have his three veterans available again for this fixture, welcome news for an otherwise very young side. Dembélé, who has won a raft of major titles in his career with club and country, is keenly aware of the absence of this one on his CV, and spoke of the team's focus and reliance on their supporters pre-match, regardless of City's attacking prowess, saying, "We will play our game, especially in front of our fans. And we have great belief in ourselves."
That self-belief has been key for PSG in recent weeks -- despite some uneasy results in Europe previously, the team having recovered from a narrow loss (with ten men) against Bayern Munich to win a succession of vital encounters. Beating the likes of Monaco (twice), Lens (twice) and Lyon in recent weeks will have prepared the team well for being under pressure.
Tomorrow it’s @ChampionsLeague night 🤩🏆#UCL | #PSGMCI pic.twitter.com/oNPX7R059h
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) January 21, 2025
A touchline reunion
Enrique will reunite with his former Barcelona teammate, Pep Guardiola. The two played together for five seasons in Catalonia, in addition to both having had stints in charge of the first team. Speaking of the connection between the two, Guardiola said, "We have an incredible connection and we are happy when we see each other. I want from the deepest of my heart a bad performance from Paris tomorrow so we can beat them, but it will be 95 minutes and afterwards the relationship [with Luis Enrique] will always be there."
Beyond that reuniting, Guardiola could be cautiously optimistic, as City have done much in recent weeks to stop a run of poor form, having won four of five and scored 22 goals in the process. Too, while former Stade Rennais winger Jérémy Doku and Rodri will still be absent, and Kyle Walker looks headed to the exit door, John Stones' return will be a boon for the visitors as they look to all but seal a place in the next round with a victory.
Predicted lineups:
Paris Saint-Germain (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Hakimi; Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes; Zaïre-Emery, Vitinha, Neves; Doué (or Dembélé), Ramos (or Dembélé), Barcola.
Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Silva, Kovacic; Foden, De Bruyne, Savinho; Haaland.
Brest look to climb the table
Results elsewhere yesterday meant that Stade Brestois have qualified for the next round, but that doesn't mean their trip to Germany to face Shakhtar Donetsk has any less riding on it. Éric Roy's side are currently ninth, but a win could see them climb as high as third, pending other results, all giving them a chance to seal a place in the top eight against Real Madrid in a week's time. Off the back of three wins in a row in all competitions, Les Pirates will be brimming with confidence and eager to continue what's been a magical season.
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