Etihad Stadium is the venue as Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain lock horns in a mammoth Champions League Group B encounter. Depending on RB Leipzig’s result away to Club Brugge, both sides could qualify for the competition’s knock-outs with a game to spare.
Coming into this fixture, Man City put Everton to the sword in the Premier League, claiming an overwhelming 3-0 home victory last weekend. Pep Guardiola’s men picked up where they left off before November’s international break when they claimed a comfortable 2-0 derby win over cross-town rivals Manchester United.
Meanwhile, Paris eked out a 3-1 home win over Ligue 1 strugglers Nantes at home over the weekend despite being a man down for most of the second half. As a result, they are now unbeaten in their last seven matches across all competitions, meaning they will take the field in high spirits.
Manchester City vs Paris Saint-Germain Head-to-Head
PSG had lost their first five meetings with Manchester City in major European competitions (D2, L3) before picking up a 2-0 triumph in the reverse fixture in late September. Yet, that success at the Parc des Princes was a mere consolation after bowing out to the Citizens in last season’s Champions League semi-finals.
Winning at the Etihad won’t settle the score by any stretch of the imagination, but it would be a massive morale boost for Paris moving forward. Indeed, they have found the Etihad an impregnable fortress across their only previous visits, losing both historical European fixtures here without scoring a single goal.
Even though both sides boast intimidating firepower up top, a low-scoring affair could be on the cards, at least based on their previous H2H encounters. Given the attacking potential on both ends, it comes a bit surprising that four of the six European match-ups between City and PSG have featured two or fewer goals.
Manchester City Form Preview
Barring the abovementioned defeat in the French capital, Manchester City have made light work of their remaining three Champions League matches this term (W3). Guardiola’s men have netted 4+ goals in each of their three Group A triumphs, averaging a resounding 5.00 goals per game in that run.
But the Citizens have failed to impress on the other end of the pitch, conceding seven goals across their opening four Champions League outings this season. That’s a noticeable defensive downfall compared with their last season’s showings, as they let in just two goals in 13 matches in the competition back in the 2020/21 campaign.
Interestingly, before drawing a blank in Paris two months ago, Man City had scored in 11 European clashes against Ligue 1 sides on the trot, averaging 2.1 goals per match. That eye-catching scoring record, coupled with a telling return of nine goals scored across their last three competitive games, suggests City are unlikely to be held goalless again.
Paris Saint-Germain Form Preview
Paris have enjoyed a significant turnaround from their early misfortunes on English soil. After winning just one of their first ten European visits to the country (D4, L5), Les Parisiens have amassed two victories from their last three UEFA-sanctioned away fixtures against Premier League hosts (L1).
However, Mauricio Pochettino’s men are winless in their last three Champions League matches on hostile turf (D2, L1). If they fail to beat Man City here, PSG will go the entire Champions League group stage campaign without a single win on the road for the first time since the 2004/05 season.
Luckily for Paris, they now have Lionel Messi on their side. The ex-Barcelona stalwart has racked up seven goals in seven Champions League appearances against Man City. Additionally, the six-time Ballon d’Or winner has scored seven goals in his five Champions League matches against sides managed by his former boss Guardiola.
Manchester City vs Paris Saint-Germain Predicted Lineups
Manchester City (4-3-3): Ederson; Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, John Stones, Joao Cancelo; Bernardo Silva, Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan; Phil Foden, Riyad Mahrez, Raheem Sterling.
PSG (4-3-3): Keylor Navas; Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Presnel Kimpembe, Abdou Diallo; Idrissa Gueye, Leandro Paredes, Marco Verratti; Lionel Messi, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe.