Manchester City has been drawn against last season’s Champions League finalist and the team who knocked out the former champions. Why is PSG the toughest challenge of the lot?
Manchester City are pushing for the impossible this season and are fighting on all fronts with a shot at taking the quadruple.
They are currently running the show in the Premier League with a few points left to earn before they are declared champions of England once again.
Coupled with this is a FA Cup semi-final coming this weekend; an EFL Cup final the following weekend; and now a Champions League semi-final after beating Borussia Dortmund 4-2 on aggregate Wednesday past.
Upon reaching the semi-finals for only the second time in the club’s history, it wasn’t long before they found out their opposition will be last term’s runners-up, PSG.
This must have made Pep Guardiola rather sick to the core, finding out he will have to play one of the most threatening attacks in European football today, however, Man City do have the mental edge of the Parisians.
Second time Manchester City and PSG meet in the knockout stages
The last time the pair met was back in 2016 and the Cityzens were the winners of that quarter-final showdown.
Although it must be noted, Manuel Pellegrini was the man in charge at the Etihad at the time.
This is the furthest Pep Guardiola has taken the English side in the European competition and he will hope to double up on Pellegrini’s win over the Parisians.
A remarkable feat reached by Pep
Following the hard-fought victory over BVB, Pep equalled Jose Mourinho’s European record.
They are now the managers who have reached the most semi-finals in the competition’s history which is eight semi-finals.
Of the eight times the Catalan man has only gone on to win it twice – and this was in his time at Barcelona where Messi spearheaded the Barca attack.
8 - Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has reached his eighth UEFA Champions League semi-final, now the joint-most in the history of the competition, alongside José Mourinho. Master. #UCL pic.twitter.com/BtUwe1YfYn
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 14, 2021
Upon reaching the semi-finals for only the second time in the club’s history, it wasn’t long before they found out their opposition will be last term’s runners-up, PSG.
One important stat Manchester CIty must carry out over in the semi-finals
This is where Ruben Dias and company must earn their salary. This is also where he can embed his name into the history books as the best centre-back signing in the chronicles of the game.
His task? Stopping PSG’s attacking options consisting of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Angel Di Maria, Mauro Icardi and Moise Kean.
If he and the rest of the City defence can do to Mbappe and co. what they did to stop Erling Haaland, they can book their tickets to Istanbul for the finals.
Man City became the first club to stop the ruthless and prolific goalscorer, Haaland, from scoring.
He has previously faced nine other teams in the tournament before being stopped by one of the best defending teams this season.
Only Paris Saint-Germain’s third semi-finals
Last year was the first final the French side has ever made. They now had a taste of it and want to make sure they go all the way this time.
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Their attacking line-up makes them the strongest side going forward. This is the only aspect of the game where they brag a stronger unite compared to the Premier League leaders Man City.
Mbappe is the club’s top scorer in the competition this season with eight goals scored. They are also ranked seventh in UEFA’s club ranking, two spots behind the Cityzens.
Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino have built good rivalry over the years while the pair of managers were battling it out in the English Premier League and the Spanish La Liga.
Poch’s appointment, the fact he has reached the finals with a weaker side in Tottenham, plus his ability to get a win over City a few times in the past, should give Pep some restless nights before they meet Wednesday, April 28.
Guardiola has met no manager more times than what he has come up against Pochettino. They were destined to battle it out with the pair on opposite ends in the Spanish rivalry between Barcelona and Espanyol.