Virtually eliminated after four days, Paris Saint-Germain travels to the Allianz Arena this Tuesday with the obligation to win. And it will be an opportunity for the Vitinha-Neves-Zaire-Emery trio to lead their collective towards success.
This Tuesday, the Bayern Munich should show up on his lawn with a tandem Kimmich-Goretzka. In the absence of the Portuguese Joao Palhinhathe Belgian coach Vincent Kompany should count on a 4-2-3-1 to hope to undermine the plans of his Spanish counterpart Luis Enrique.
With Jamal Musiala n°10, the Bavarian collective hopes to gain the upper hand in the opposing final third. And, on paper, this is a possible scenario. But, on the side of Paris Saint-Germainthere is also hope when we know what the three midfielders are capable of doing. Vitinha, João Neves et Warren Zaire-Emery have already proven their understanding and their complementarity since the start of the season.
On the other hand, in Champions Leaguefacing Arsenal and theAtlético de Madridthey failed to be good at the same time. This Tuesday, they no longer have a choice: they must be able to make the difference in a match which proves to be crucial.
“We can’t just ask the attackers to score. Against Toulouse, we scored thanks to two midfielders and a defender. That can make the difference”said the Portuguese on Monday.
We saw it again last Friday – certainly, the adversity was much weaker – but these three players have the capacity to influence a match on their own. And this is precisely what their teammates need in attack to be able to weigh even more on the defense. Especially since that driven by Kompany has been in great shape for several weeks.
The last team that managed to score a goal Bayern is the FC Barcelona a month ago (4-1). Since then, the Record champions kept his clean sheet. The challenge promises to be immense.
A trio at the foot of the mountain
Because whatever anyone says, Vitinha, Neves et Zaire-Emery have yet to prove themselves together at the highest level. The first had a superb season in 2023-2024, but the other two are younger and have not yet reached their ceiling. Above all, it is a trio that can go very high, but for that, the reality on the ground must speak.
And, in this little game, Paris has not yet benefited from an imperial midfield in the most crucial moments. These remain, in fact, only promises, but the existing feeling is positive: the semi-finalist of the last C1 holds several rough diamonds.
Moreover, the context easily lends itself to such questions. When we know that the PSG disappointed after four days, Vitinha, Neves et Zaire-Emery could be the trigger to definitively launch the European season.
Obviously, if the men of Luis Enrique end up winning thanks to the performance of another element in particular, it will be just as gratifying. But, finding yourself at the Allianz Arena facing Joshua Kimmich et Leon Goretzka is definitely appetizing. Two more experienced players who will be able to pose problems for Parisians. The latter will have the numerical advantage, it is up to them to take advantage of it by showing their technique within the animation desired by their coach.
“We want to win every match at PSG. We don’t come here to wait, we come to win”indicated Vitinha Monday, thus setting the tone.
