Champions League 2018-19: Manchester United vs PSG: Preview and prediction
What's the story
The Champions League is here again to provide football fans with sleepless nights. And what better an occasion to kick off the round of 16 than a clash between European giants Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain? The two clubs will clash at Old Trafford on Wednesday at 1:30 AM in what is expected to be an exhilarating match. Here's our detailed match preview.
Manchester United
How are the hosts looking ahead of the encounter?
United have been in tremendous form lately, defeating each team bar one since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took over as their interim manager. All of their top players will likely be available for the match, and with the current form players like Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial are in, the match will hardly be as one-sided an affair as thought earlier.
PSG
Are Paris ready for the challenge?
PSG have huge problems before visiting Old Trafford for the clash. Key players like Edinson Cavani and Neymar will not be available for the match. Cavani picked up a thigh injury against Bordeaux on Sunday. Meunier will also probably not be available for the clash after suffering a concussion in the same match. Verratti might play in the match despite his injury.
Key players
Who will be the key players in tomorrow's clash?
Kylian Mbappe will be the man for PSG in the absence of Neymar and Cavani, as it will be him Paris will be looking to for goals in the match. Angel di Maria might also fire up against his former side. For United, de Gea will be the rock while in-form players like Rashford, Martial, and Pogba can cause serious damage to PSG.
TV listing
Predicted line-up and TV listing
Manchester United: De Gea, Shaw, Jones, Smalling, Dalot, Pogba, Matic, Herrera, Martial, Rashford, Lingard. PSG: Buffon, Nsoki, Kimpembe, Silva, Meunier, Diably, Verratti, Alves, Nkunku, Mbappe, Di Maria. The match is scheduled to kick-off at 1:30 AM and can be seen on Sony Six or live-streamed on the Sony Liv website or mobile application for free.
Prediction
How can the match turn out to be tomorrow?
The odds seem to favor Manchester United tomorrow, and it will not be a surprise if they emerge victorious. PSG have a blunted attack owing to injuries, and might not be as lethal against United at Old Trafford. United should look to score as many goals as possible to make matters easy for the second leg at Parc-des-Princes. We predict United will win 2-0.
Fantasy XI
What should be the ideal Fantasy XI for the match?
Choose de Gea as the goalkeeper while keeping a 4-3-3 formation. Smalling and Kimpembe should be center-backs while Dalot and Silva play as right and left backs respectively. Pogba, Verratti, and Matic will be the ideal midfielders. Lingard, Rashford and Mbappe can be the lethal front-three for the encounter.