The PSG players were finishing their training this Friday at the Camp des Loges, when Paulo Sousa, whose departure from Bordeaux is still not activated, shot the ball containing the names of Chelsea and Bayern Munich. At that time, there was no longer any doubt that PSG would be opposed to Atalanta Bergamo for the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
The news did not, however, spark an enthusiasm in Thiago Silva and his partners. “Bergamo offers a lot offensively, they have one of the best scorers in the competition (Editor’s note: Josip Ilicic, 5 goals) and the three attackers in front go very fast. We’re going to have difficulties, reacted the Parisian captain on the club’s website. But it will be an open match because they play ball and so do we. “
Thomas Tuchel also noted the atypical nature of this Transalpine formation, capable of passing 8 goals to Valence in the round of 16 and peaking at 85 goals in Serie A. “It’s not a really Italian team,” notes the PSG coach. They always play to score a lot of goals, it’s very spectacular. I love to watch them. It will be a very close, very hard match but we are here to win. “
A semi-final against Atlético de Madrid or Leipzig?
Could it be otherwise? Because whatever he says, PSG finally enjoys a lenient draw if we refer to the recent past and the prestigious teams on which it broke its teeth between 2013 and 2016 during the quarterfinals (Barcelona, Chelsea , Barcelona and Manchester City). We can even add that with the possibility of facing Leipzig or Atlético de Madrid in the semi-finals, Paris appears to be the favorite of its part of the table.
Admittedly, the Madrilenians, vice-champions of Europe 2014 and 2016, managed the big blow to eliminate Liverpool holding the title in the previous round. And even if the Colchoneros remain a formidable opponent and experienced in this kind of meeting, they also do not cross their best period, 3rd in La Liga but released by the untouchables Barça and Real Madrid.
With its duo of stars, Neymar and Mbappé, its budget of more than 600 million euros and its legitimate ambitions, Paris cannot pretend that it is entering this “Final Eight” on tiptoe. For the first time since its elimination in the last minutes against Chelsea in 2014, PSG has (at least on paper) the possibility of entering the last four of the Champions League. Even more if the physical condition does not give up along the way. It was up to Thomas Tuchel and his men not to waste this opportunity and to avoid being damaged in a Manchester United type crash last season.
