Manchester City's second game of a brutally challenging week takes place

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Manchester City’s second game of a brutally challenging week takes place at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday night, as Paris Saint-Germain seek revenge in Champions League Group A. The two sides renew hostilities after clashing in last season’s semi-finals, where Pep Guardiola’s men claimed a pair of victories to end the Parisiens’ European dream for one more year.

Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City, two of the most high-profile sides never to have won the UEFA Champions League (UCL), meet in a mouthwatering Group A match that offers an early chance to see whether they can justify being among the tournament favourites.

PSG have made a perfect start to their domestic season with eight consecutive Ligue 1 victories, although they’ve had to work hard, needing injury-time winners in two of their last three. That suggests they have a fighting spirit that could serve the 2019/20 runners-up well here and later in the competition.

However, they could only manage a 1-1 draw against Club Brugge in their UCL opener, so they’re already on the back foot. Knowing that the last team to beat them at the Parc de Princes was Man City, and with just one win in five UCL clashes with English clubs (L4), they’ve struggled in recent cross-channel affairs.

Indeed, an unlikely goal source in Ander Herrera drew first blood with 15 minutes on the clock at the Jan-Breydel-Stadion, but Brugge captain Hans Vanaken levelled the scores before half time, and Mauricio Pochettino’s famed front three could not turn the game in their side’s favour.

Despite an early European setback, PSG have simply swept aside the competition so far in Ligue 1 and maintained their 100% record in the division with a 2-0 success over Montpellier HSC on Saturday, with Idrissa Gueye’s thunderous effort preceding a Julian Draxler strike late on.

The opening-day draw with Brugge represents the only game this season so far that PSG have failed to score at least twice, but Pochettino’s side now face an incredibly daunting run, with Rennes, RB Leipzig, Marseille and Lille lying in wait over the next four weeks.

Furthermore, PSG’s home struggles in the Champions League last term means that they welcome Man City to the Parc des Princes winless in three European encounters on familiar turf, the most recent of which came in last season’s semi-final first-leg defeat to the eventual runners-up.

Date: 28/09/2021
Time: 22:00
Venue: Parc des Princes (Paris)
Pick for this match:
“1” – @ 3.05 ( BETWAY )