PSG will have to work hard to get the better of Newcastle on Tuesday at 9 p.m. if they do not want to find themselves with their backs against the wall in the Champions League. This match promises to be decisive: after two defeats in four matches in the group stage, the Parisians are neck and neck with the other teams in the “group of death”.
No more room for error. If PSG does not want to watch the Champions League on TV in February, it will have to remove doubts and win at home against Newcastle, Tuesday November 28 at 9 p.m., to remove the specter of early elimination. Especially since the capital club has revenge to take on the Magpies, who largely dominated the first leg (4-1).
Paris has already lost two matches in the group stage – both away – and cannot afford another misstep: currently in second place, PSG (6 points) is one point ahead of Borussia Dortmund (7 points), and are only one and two points ahead of AC Milan (5 points) and Newcastle (4 points) respectively.
This statistic is already the worst in the Champions League under the QSI era, Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund. And an elimination before the round of 16 would also be a first for PSG since 2011. Moreover, the Parisians have lost as much in the Champions League this season as in the last 18 group stage matches played until then.
Before facing the “yellow wall” of Dortmund for the last day, December 13, Luis Enrique’s players must recover on Tuesday to chase away the specter of premature elimination.
“This competition could be very short, in a very complicated group with a tight ranking, these are decisive matches,” admitted PSG coach Luis Enrique at a press conference on Monday. Against Newcastle, “we will play the match like a final, without a doubt”.
On the way out, stifled by the atmosphere of Saint James’ Park, the Parisians had collapsed psychologically, physically and technically. In the same vein, they fell at San Siro at the beginning of November against AC Milan (2-1), while they had largely beaten the Italians (3-0) at home two weeks earlier.
The Parisian advantage of playing at home
A defeat against Newcastle would considerably complicate the task of PSG, who would no longer be in control of their destiny on the sixth and final day. Conversely, a victory against the English on Tuesday could already open the doors to the round of 16, combined with a victory or a draw for Borussia Dortmund against AC Milan.
Luis Enrique was optimistic about his team’s chances of qualifying: “Tomorrow (Tuesday), there are two teams that can qualify. And on the last day, there will be the possibility of qualifying too. I I’m convinced that my team will be competitive, I have no doubt.”
For this meeting, the teammates of Kylian Mbappé – captain due to the withdrawal of Marquinhos, injured in the hamstring during a match against Brazil – can approach this match with confidence: the Parisians have recorded their two successes in the group stage at home this year.
The PSG coach also hopes that the Parisian public will still be up to the task on Tuesday: “The Parc des Princes is a hot stadium, which transports us. I hope that we will have the best version of our public, especially when the opponent gives us problems. We will need a stadium and fans who are even more passionate than usual.”
However, the Parisians will not have to underestimate their opponent: although currently last in the “group of death”, Newcastle could get back into the race for qualification in the round of 16 in the event of a victory.
“Newcastle knows how to exert pressure very well”
The Magpies, who easily defeated Chelsea this weekend (4-1), will surely play with their physical qualities against PSG. “Newcastle knows how to exert pressure very well (…). Against Chelsea, their physical data were always up to par, six players put constant pressure on the opposing camp. It is this same intensity that we will face (Tuesday )”, warns Luis Enrique.
PSG, for its part, had a mixed weekend: although the clear winner over AS Monaco (5-2) on Friday, the capital club also experienced difficulties. Effective in attack, notably with Ousmane Dembélé’s first goal, the Parisians were also regularly caught in depth, giving rise to lightning counter-attacks.
Paris, which still has to do without two important players – Marquinhos and Warren Zaire-Emery, both injured – continues to concede a lot of chances. This largesse is often inconsequential in L1, but is rarely forgiving in the Champions League.
“We are still far from what I hope to see for the team,” admits Luis Enrique. “The team is not yet what I want, but we are still in a research process. (…) There are things that I like, an enormous desire from the players to do what the team asks. coach. I think we have a lot of room for improvement.”
The Spanish technician also knows that the battle will be partly tactical to win against Newcastle. The start of four offensive players in the first leg had partly unbalanced his team.
The only certainty is that the PSG coach wants his team to play with the same philosophy against the Magpies. “Our objective is always the same, no matter the match: keep the ball in the opponent’s half, prevent opportunities for the opponent, keep the ball very far from our goals,” he concludes. “We will have to have a very high level tomorrow.”
With AFP
