Luis Enrique’s side travel to the San Siro in Milan on Tuesday evening to face AC Milan in the Champions League, having beaten them 3-0 in the first leg. Leaders of their group, Kylian Mbappé’s teammates want to consolidate their position, but will have to face a hostile atmosphere in the stands.
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New major opponent for PSG. In good shape since the heavy defeat at Newcastle at the beginning of October, PSG will have to resist the atmosphere of San Siro against AC Milan on Tuesday November 7, at 9 p.m., in the Champions League, after having beaten them 3-0 at the Parc des Princes on October 25. Gianluigi Donnarumma, the former Rossoneri goalkeeper, should receive a stormy reception from the “tifosi”.
“I think the fans will do everything to support our team,” predicted Stefano Pioli, the coach of the Milan club on Monday at a press conference. “As long as we play like Milan should play, they will encourage us with a great passion, a great love for our colors. It depends on us that the supporters are behind us and that San Siro constitutes something positive for us”, he continued.
For the Parisians, it will be necessary to stand up to the Italians on the pitch and therefore also to their audience in the stands, because the path to the round of 16 of C1 necessarily requires a good performance on Tuesday evening at San Siro.
At the top of group F, PSG is only two points ahead of Newcastle and Dortmund, before the reception of the English and the trip to the Germans and their “yellow wall” erected by another hot audience. Conversely, Milan, semi-finalist of the 2022 edition, is last in Group F with two points and no goals scored in three matches.
The bad memory of St James Park
But the fears on the PSG side are persistent, as the match at St James Park was a disaster, especially on a mental level. The Parisians seemed totally intimidated by the atmosphere of the English fans.
In Milan, the one who will particularly have to resist this pressure is Gianluigi Donnarumma, even if, like him, Milan Skriniar and Achraf Hakimi, two former Inter Milan defenders are also making their return to San Siro.
According to the Italian press, the Curva Sud ultras planned to distribute whistles and bundles of counterfeit notes before the match kicked off, to throw them when he entered the field in memory of his eventful departure for the PSG in 2021.
At the time, the goalkeeper of the Italian team had angered AC Milan supporters by suggesting that he was going to extend his contract, before turning his back on his training club and responding to the Parisian sirens.
“It ended on bad terms here between him and the club. We know that the reception will be quite difficult, our supporters are warm,” admitted Monday at a press conference Mike Maignan who succeeded Donnarumma in the Milan goals .
This pressure was quickly relieved by PSG coach Luis Enrique. “We laughed about it together. He already played here again during an Italy-Spain selection and I was on the bench opposite. This often happens in football,” he played down.
Good momentum from PSG
To sweep away any uncertainty on a psychological level as to how to approach such a meeting, Parisians can rely on their increased fitness and confidence. Especially since opposite, the teammates of Mike Maignan and Olivier Giroud remain in three matches without a victory in Serie A, including a defeat on Saturday against Udinese.
PSG, who still have to do without Marco Asensio, won the five matches following the Newcastle debacle. The latest victory to date, at home on Friday against Montpellier in Ligue 1, was clear and convincing (3-0), confirming the good dispositions displayed two weeks ago against Milan (3-0), in a Parc des Princes in boiling with tifos, smoke bombs, banners and songs.
As for the away matches, they ended in successes in Rennes (3-1) and Brest (3-2), certainly in a less convincing way, the Parisian team having been less flashy and less serene in the game.
“We are playing against a very good team, in a historic stadium, within a strong group. I am optimistic because the players are in good shape and have the desire to put in a great performance,” assured Luis Enrique.
With AFP