As in the quarter-finals of the Champions League against FC Barcelona, PSG finds itself obliged to achieve a result, if the club wants to hope for a place in the final at Wembley, on 1er next June.
This time, it is against Dortmund that we will have to reverse the trend, with a defeat (1-0) in the first leg of the semi-final at Signal Iduna Park. Despite this disadvantageous result, here are five good reasons to believe in a turnaround, this Tuesday, May 7, at the Parc des Princes.
PSG has already done it
We really don’t have to go back far to see the example of a Parisian comeback, since to reach these semi-finals in this 2024 Champions League, PSG has already found itself with its back to the wall after a first leg. At the Parc des Princes, during the quarter-final first leg, FC Barcelona also left with its one goal lead, in a match that was nevertheless more spectacular (2-3).
If a red card in the return match against the Catalans had helped Luis Enrique’s players, they nevertheless performed and proved their superiority, to finally snatch the ticket to the last four of the competition (1-4).
This time, it’s at the Park
So if Paris has already proven that coming back is not a problem, how can we not imagine that the task will be even less difficult at home? With an atmosphere that promises to be incandescent at the Parc des Princes, the Parisians will be galvanized by their supporters to only come back a small goal ahead.
In Ligue 1, at home, PSG is 2e best team in the championship behind Lille, but above all with an impressive number of 41 goals scored against only 19 conceded. So, spectacle assured, a 0-0 seems unimaginable…
Dortmund did not outclass PSG
If the Parisians lacked a little intensity during the semi-final first leg, despite a defeat, it is impossible to say that the Germans completely outclassed Luis Enrique’s players. The difference was sometimes made individually, like Adeyemi and Sancho, who largely won their duels against Hakimi and Nuno Mendes.
On the other hand, Paris has many clear opportunities to come away with a draw. We will mainly think of the two posts in the same minute (Mbappé then Hakimi), Ruiz who lacked realism twice, almost alone in front of goal, or even Dembelé, who did not target a shot while Kobel was beaten. “The chances we created will come in the return match”warned Achraf Hakimi after the first leg.
Mbappé’s last chance
There have been many matches where we expect a great Kylian Mbappé, but the player does not necessarily meet these expectations. If the Parisian scored a double in the quarter-final return against FC Barcelona, the captain of the French team undeniably missed several major meetings. Headlining the quarter-final first leg against FC Barcelona, the second classic of the season against OM and therefore, this semi-final first leg of the Champions League.
But this time, if the French international misses his match, it is probably his last chance to make the capital club shine on the European scene. A failure at the gates of the final would put an additional piece in the future of the player which seems to be written at Real Madrid…
More recovery for Parisians
If the question was debated at length in France, once again, Luis Enrique’s troops had six days of recovery before finding the Germans. A privilege that Edin Terzic’s players will not have, who faced Augsburg this Saturday, May 4.
Also read. “It’s only in France that we do that”: postponing Ligue 1 for Europeans, the question divides
However, Dortmund do not have the pressure of results in the Bundesliga, having already secured a 5e place, qualifier for the Champions League in Germany.
