PSG hope to end long wait for European glory as they welcome Bayern
The champions of France and Germany will collide in the Champions League on Tuesday when Paris Saint-Germain face Bayern Munich in the first leg of their last-16 tie at Parc des Princes.
PSG are hoping 2023 is the year where they end their long wait for the Champions League trophy, while the Bavarians are dreaming of being crowned champions of Europe for the seventh time.
After being knocked out of the Coupe de France by Marseille, Christophe Galtier‘s side were aiming to return to winning ways when they travelled to the principality to face Monaco on Saturday, but as it transpired, PSG returned to the capital empty-handed following a dismal 3-1 defeat with all four goals arriving in the first half. Losing two straight games is far from an ideal way to prepare for a European meeting with Bayern Munich.
If the French champions are to avoid a second straight last-16 exit, then they will need to make the most of home advantage,
Bayern experienced something of a mini-crisis by their high standards when they returned from the winter break with three consecutive 1-1 draws, but a sense of normality has been restored in Bavaria in recent weeks. The perennial German champions usually fare well at this stage of the competition, having progressed from the last-16 in nine of the last 10 seasons, including their last three European campaigns.
This promises to be a thrilling tie between two European heavyweights, and we think the respective defences may be unable to contain the immense firepower that each team has at their disposal.
Although today’s meeting will produce an entertaining affair and we expect momentum to swing back and forth, resulting in a drawn first leg.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
AC Milan host inconsistent Tottenham Hotspur
The Champions League knockout round begins on Tuesday, with AC Milan set to play host to Tottenham Hotspur for the first leg of their last-16 tie.
Milan returned to winning ways with a narrow victory over Torino on Friday, while the visitors need to pick themselves up after being thrashed 4-1 by Leicester City at the weekend.
Although Milan are seven-time European champions, Tuesday’s meeting with Tottenham will represent the club’s first Champions League knockout round tie since they were beaten 5-1 on aggregate by Atletico Madrid in the last-16 in the 2013-2014 season.
After recovering from gallbladder surgery, Antonio Conte‘s return to the touchline looked set to coincide with a positive result when Rodrigo Bentancur gave Tottenham the lead in Saturday’s away encounter against Leicester, but it turned out to be a forgettable afternoon for the North London club.
Tottenham will now have to pick themselves up and dust themselves down as they dream of replicating their memorable run to the Champions League final, which took place under Mauricio Pochettino‘s guidance in the 2018-19 campaign.
Conte’s recent record against Tuesday’s opponents makes for positive reading if you are of a Tottenham persuasion, with eight of his last nine games against Milan yielding a victory.
Spurs will head to Italy in a downbeat mood following Saturday’s poor performance and the news that Bentancur will miss the rest of the season through injury but trust Conte to lift his players for a meeting with an AC Milan side, who have themselves been far from their best in 2023.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Why Arsenal, City EPL game will be played at the same time as Chelsea, Dortmund Champions League tie on Wednesday
Premier League leaders Arsenal will host Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City on Wednesday in a huge game for the title race – but many fans will be puzzled by the date of the clash.
The highly-anticipated showdown will take place during same evening as the Champions League last-16 stage – the same day as rivals Chelsea take on Borussia Dortmund while Scott Parker’s Club Brugge host Benfica.
The game was originally due to take place on Wednesday, October 19, but due to a fixture pile-up, the teams have been forced to fit the crucial game into their schedules in midweek.
UEFA is normally against the idea of having a Premier League game on the same day as the Champions League.
However, UEFA have made an exception this time after the Premier League did the European governing body a favour earlier this season with scheduling after their Europa League game against PSV had to be re-arranged.
Arteta’s side were meant to play PSV on Thursday, September 15 but was postponed due to the death of Queen Elizabeth II – who passed away on September 8.
With vast amounts of police being sent to Buckingham Palace around the time of the Queen’s death, it was determined that the game couldn’t go ahead safely and the two clubs agreed to pursue an alternate date – with the Gunners eager to avoid forfeiting the fixture.
UEFA crammed all of their group-stage matches in the Europa League between September and November – making their fixture schedule even tighter.
Eventually, the organisation decided to re-arrange the game for October 20 – with opportunities to play the fixture before the World Cup becoming increasingly slim.
However, that meant that both Arsenal and City had to agree to move their showdown to another date – with the original set to take place just one day before.
Credit: dailymail.co.uk
