the essential
Parisian footballers welcome the Germans to the Parc des Princes on Tuesday May 7 (9 p.m.), in the semi-final second leg of the Champions League. In the first leg, they lost 1-0 at Signal Iduna Park.
To reach Wembley and the coveted Champions League final, Paris Saint-Germain has its back against the wall, this Tuesday, May 7 at the Parc des Princes, forced to once again reverse the situation against Dortmund after the setback in the first leg ( 1-0).
Luis Enrique’s men will have to win at all costs, by at least one goal to play overtime and more if they want to qualify without going through penalties, four years after the lost final (1-0 ) in Lisbon against Bayern Munich, during the time of Covid-19. The Parisians will be able to rely on the mental preparation that worked in the previous round given their performance in Barcelona (4-1).
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“We are going to win,” the Spanish coach told supporters on Saturday in front of the PSG Campus in Poissy, convinced that his players will raise their level as before the quarter-final return in Catalonia.
“It’s the only phrase I know in French, ‘We’re going to win’, as it’s a phrase I like…” he smiled at a press conference on Monday. At the end of the match in the Ruhr, Luis Enrique promised: “we are going to get this final”. Same tone from the side of the superstar Kylian Mbappé, who will experience his last match in C1 under the Parisian colors at the Parc: “The pressure, we are aware of it but the group is extremely calm. We are confident and we are sure that we will raise this score and […] qualify”, he said on Sunday in front of some media including AFP, during an event of his association “Inspired by KM”.
“Confident but not too much”
Captain Marquinhos is just as calm: “We don’t know what will happen but confidence comes from work and the serenity worked throughout the season.” “The players are concentrated, confident, but not too much. Too confident, it’s not good,” PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaïfi underlined Monday, specifying that it was the “youngest” team of the last square. To compete in the final on June 1, which would be their second in history in C1 but the first in a full stadium, the Parisians will therefore have to repeat the feat of Montjuic, when they were then carried by the flamboyant Ousmane Dembélé.
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But the story became complicated with the withdrawal of defender Lucas Hernandez, 28, one of the strong men this season, who was injured in the first leg. To control Dortmund’s deep play in particular, the French international will be replaced either by Danilo Pereira, slower but imposing in the air, or by Lucas Beraldo, less seasoned but appreciated for his restarts. Last Wednesday, the harsh reality imposed itself on the Parisians, who did not run enough – 10 km less than the “BVB” – nor put enough intensity: the Yellow and Black, who no longer joined the final since 2013, have as much determination as them to force their destiny.
Beyond the success of the first leg, the Germans gained more confidence on Saturday thanks to their large 5-1 victory against Augsburg. Conversely, the Parisians, who were rested this weekend, will be able to rely on the double confrontation of the group phase, from which they emerged victorious (2-0 at the Parc, 1-1 at Dortmund).
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The Germans will also be on even more hostile ground than last September, with more than 45,000 Parisian supporters having heard the call for general mobilization: “Let’s all be involved and take our club to new heights!”, launched the Collectif Ultras Paris (CUP), the main group of Parisian fans.
“We are lucky to be able to play this type of match, it will be a party and we will benefit from our supporters,” said Luis Enrique, who had a “very good week” of preparation. Final reason for hope for PSG: apart from the confrontation against Barcelona, Paris, which has traveled poorly this season in the Champions League, often succeeds in its home matches.
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And the ineffectiveness of the first leg is an anomaly in the rain of goals scored this season. The stakes are enormous for the capital club: finally conquer the title in the premier event and aim for an unprecedented quadruple, at the risk of bitterly regretting last Wednesday’s misstep against an opponent well within their reach.
