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Big Match Feature: PSG v Man United

football06 March 2019 04:12
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PSG v Man United © Gallo Images
Paris Saint-Germain are on the verge of a famous Uefa Champions League triumph as they welcome Manchester United to the Parc des Princes holding a two-goal lead for the conclusion of their round of 16 tie.

First-leg goals from Presnel Kimpembe – his first in senior football – and Kylian Mbappé made Paris the first French club to win at Old Trafford and inflicted United's biggest ever home European defeat – they had never previously been beaten by more than one goal. United's misery was compounded by a late red card for Paul Pogba.

Both teams have suffered recent round of 16 disappointment. United have not reached the Uefa Champions League quarterfinals since 2013/14, while Paris's last two campaigns have ended at this stage, at the hands of Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively.

Form Guide

Paris

This is Paris's seventh successive Uefa Champions League campaign and they have reached the round of 16 on each occasion – although they are yet to match their 1994/95 achievement of reaching the semifinals.

After four successive quarterfinal appearances between 2013 and 2016, Paris have lost at this stage in each of the last two seasons. In 2017/18 they went down 5-2 on aggregate to Real Madrid (1-3 away, 1-2 home); 12 months earlier, they had looked set for the quarterfinals after a 4-0 first-leg defeat of Barcelona at the Parc des Princes, only to go down 6-1 in Spain – a Uefa Champions League record comeback.

Paris's round of 16 record is therefore W4 L2.

Paris have won three of their six two-legged knockout ties against Premier League clubs although the most recent ended in defeat against United's local rivals Manchester City in the 2015/16 quarterfinals (2-2 home, 0-1 away). That second leg is also the last Uefa Champions League match in which Paris failed to score; they have found the net in all 23 matches since.

The French club have twice beaten English opposition at this stage of the Uefa Champions League, overcoming Chelsea in both 2014/15 (1-1 home, 2-2 away) and 2015/16 (2-1 home, 2-1 away).

Paris have already won at home to English opponents this season, beating Liverpool 2-1 on matchday five – their first success in six matches against English clubs (D3 L2). They lost 3-2 at Anfield in their first Group C game.

Paris have lost only one of their nine home fixtures against English visitors (W4 D4), 3-0 against Chelsea in the 2004/05 Uefa Champions League group stage. They are on a run of six games without defeat against Premier League opposition in Paris (W3 D3) but have not kept a clean sheet in any of those matches.

The Parisian club have lost only two of their last 50 European home games since crashing 4-2 to Hapoel Tel-Aviv in the 2006/07 Uefa Cup group stage (W32 D16) – they went down 3-1 to Barcelona in the 2014/15 quarterfinals and 2-1 against Real Madrid in last season's round of 16 second leg.

Paris picked up seven points at home in Group C this season, also beating Crvena zvezda 6-1 and drawing 2-2 with Napoli. They are nevertheless without a clean sheet in four Uefa Champions League home games.

Despite beating Liverpool and Crvena zvezda in their last two group games, and the first-leg success, Paris have still won only four of their last ten Uefa Champions League matches (D2 L4).

Paris have won all 15 Uefa competition ties when they have recorded a first-leg away victory, most recently against Bayer Leverkusen in the 2013/14 round of 16 when a 4-0 away win preceded a 2-1 home victory at the Parc des Princes. On each of the three occasions that they won the first leg 2-0 away, they did not concede at home (W2 D1).

•Paris's European shoot-out record is W0 L1:

3-4 v Rangers, 2001/02 Uefa Cup third round

Manchester United

This is the English club's 11th round of 16 tie (W6 L4), and their 18th participation in the Uefa Champions League knockout stages overall. Having lost their first two last-16 contests, United won all but one of the next seven before last season's defeat by Sevilla.

In 2017/18 United drew the first leg at Sevilla 0-0 but were beaten 2-1 in the home second leg, ending a 21-match unbeaten run in Europe at Old Trafford (W17 D4).

The draw at Sevilla made it four away games in the round of 16 without a victory for United (D3 L1), whose overall away record at this stage of the Uefa Champions League is W2 D5 L3. They have failed to score in half of those games.

United won their first two away matches in Group H this season, at Young Boys (3-0) and Juventus (2-1). A 2-1 loss at Valencia on matchday six was only United's second reverse in their last 12 European away games (W7 D3), with just seven goals conceded during that period; the Valencia contest was the first time they had shipped more than one in any of those matches.

United have lost just six of their last 27 European matches, home and away (W16 D5); the losses to Valencia and Paris are the first time they have suffered successive defeats since November/December 2012. They last lost three in a row earlier that year in the knockout phase of the Uefa Europa League.

The Red Devils have won six of their seven two-legged knockout contests against French clubs. Ole Gunnar Solskjær scored in the sole defeat, against Monaco in the 1997/98 Uefa Champions League quarterfinals (0-0 away, 1-1 home).

Most recently, United overcame St-Étienne in the round of 32 in their victorious 2016/17 Uefa Europa League campaign, winning 3-0 at home and 1-0 away.

That made it three successive victories against French sides, home and away, for United, whose eight-match run without defeat (W6 D2) against French clubs was ended in the first leg of this tie. They are unbeaten in their last four trips to France (W2 D2), since a 1-0 loss at LOSC Lille in the 2005/06 Uefa Champions League group stage in a match played at the Stade de France. United have lost only twice in their 13 away games with Ligue 1 clubs (W4 D7).

This is Solskjær's first tie in the Uefa Champions League proper as a coach; he oversaw eight qualifiers while in charge of Molde (W3 D4 L1). He took the Norwegian club into the Uefa Europa League group stage in 2012/13, and into the round of 32 of that competition three years later.

United have never come back from a first-leg home defeat to win the tie in Uefa competition, losing both legs of all three previous contests – in the Uefa Champions League against Bayern München in the 2000/01 quarterfinals (0-1, 1-2) and AC Milan in the 2004/05 round of 16 (0-1, 0-1) and in the 2011/12 Uefa Europa League round of 16 against Athletic Club (2-3, 1-2).

• United's record in three Uefa penalty shoot-outs is W1 L2:

6-5 v Chelsea, 2007/08 Uefa Champions League final

3-4 v Torpedo Moskva, 1992/93 Uefa Cup first round

4-5 v Videoton, 1984/85 Uefa Cup quarterfinals

Links and trivia

Ángel Di María spent 2014/15 at United, scoring three goals in 27 Premier League appearances before leaving for Paris.

• Have also played in England:

Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting (Stoke 2017/18)

Lassana Diarra (Chelsea 2005–07, Arsenal 2007/08, Portsmouth 2008/09)

• Have played in France:

Anthony Martial (Lyon 2012/13, Monaco 2013–15)

Sergio Romero (Monaco 2013/14)

• Have played together:

Gianluigi Buffon & Paul Pogba (Juventus 2012–16)

Dani Alves & Alexis Sánchez (Barcelona, 2011–14)

Neymar & Alexis Sánchez (Barcelona, 2013/14)

Layvin Kurzawa & Anthony Martial (Monaco, 2013–15)

Layvin Kurzawa & Sergio Romero (Monaco 2013/14)

• International teammates:

Gianluigi Buffon, Marco Verratti & Matteo Darmian (Italy)

Alphonse Areola, Pascal Kimpembe, Layvin Kurzawa, Lassana Diarra, Adrien Rabiot, Kylian Mbappé & Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial (France)

Thiago Silva, Marquinhos, Dani Alves, Neymar & Fred (Brazil)

Thomas Meunier & Romelu Lukaku (Belgium)

Juan Bernat & David de Gea, Juan Mata, Ander Herrera (Spain)

Ángel Di María, Leandro Paredes & Sergio Romero, Marcos Rojo (Argentina)

Pogba, Areola, Kimpembe and Mbappé were all in France's victorious Fifa World Cup squad last summer.

Mbappé scored twice in France's round of 16 win against Rojo's Argentina at Russia 2018, and was fouled by the United defender to win a penalty.

Meunier scored Belgium's opening goal in the third-place play-off win against England at the 2018 World Cup. Phil Jones started the game with Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard coming on at halftime.

Latest News

Paris

• Uefa Champions League squad changes

In: Leandro Paredes, Metehan Güçlü

Out: Tim Weah, Yacine Adli

The first leg was Marco Verratti's 50th appearance in both the Uefa Champions League, group stage to final, and Uefa club competition overall.

Paris have won their last eight games in all competitions, since a first Ligue 1 defeat of the season at Lyon (1-2) on 3 February. On Saturday they came from behind to win 2-1 at Caen.

The Parisians have kept six clean sheets in that eight-match run, scoring 20 goals and conceding two.

Paris have 71 points after 26 Ligue 1 games, the highest tally at that stage in French top-flight history.

Kylian Mbappé scored both goals at Caen and now has 24 goals, and five assists, in Ligue 1 this season. He has scored in his last five appearances in all competitions, seven goals in total.

Mbappé, who has contributed five of Paris's last six Ligue 1 goals, has 50 goals and 28 assists for the club in 76 matches in all competitions.

Mbappé struck twice against Nîmes on 23 February, the first his 50th in the league – making him the youngest player to reach that mark. He now has 53 goals in 89 Ligue 1 games.

Presnel Kimpembe made his 100th Paris appearance in a 3-0 defeat of Dijon in the French Cup quarterfinals on 26 February. Paris, who are bidding for a record fifth successive triumph in the competition, will take on Vitré or Nantes in the last four on 2/3 April.

Neymar, who scored five goals in the group stage, was ruled out for ten weeks after injuring his right foot during the French Cup game against Strasbourg on 23 January.

Sidelined since suffering a muscle injury in converting a penalty against Bordeaux on 9 February, Edinson Cavani has resumed full training.

Thomas Meunier was out between 9 and 26 February with a head injury but returned to score the third goal against Dijon.

Paris defeated Guingamp 9-0 on 19 January, the club's biggest ever home win, with Mbappé and Cavani both scoring hat-tricks. That made Cavani the first player to score 100 goals at the Parc des Princes – he now has 105.

After 21 wins in a row and five successive triumphs in the competition between 2014 and 2018, Paris lost 2-1 at home to Guingamp in the French League Cup quarterfinals on 9 January. It was also their first domestic loss of the season and their first domestic cup defeat in 45 games.

Gianluigi Buffon is the oldest player to appear in this season's Uefa Champions League, and the fourth oldest of all time. He was aged 41 years and 15 days when he faced United in the first leg.

Manchester United

• Uefa Champions League squad changes

In: None

Out: Marouane Fellaini

The first leg is United's only defeat in their last 16 matches in all competitions (W13 D2) and their sole reverse since Ole Gunnar Solskjær replaced José Mourinho as manager on 19 December. On Saturday they beat Southampton 3-2 at Old Trafford.

United have won their last eight away games in all competitions – a new club record. They won 3-1 at Crystal Palace on 27 February and have scored two or more goals in four of their last five away matches.

Romelu Lukaku scored twice at Palace, his first Premier League goals since 2 January and his first in ten matches in all competitions. He also struck twice against Southampton.

Paul Pogba has 11 Premier League goals this season – the first time in his career he has reached double figures in a league campaign. Eight have come in the last 11 matches, although he had a late penalty saved at the weekend.

Solskjær won his first eight games – the best start for a manager in United's history.

The Red Devils had scored in 17 successive matches in all competitions before the 0-2 loss to Paris; they have now drawn a blank in two of the last five.

Seventeen-year-old midfielder James Garner made his senior debut as a late substitute at Palace while forward Tahith Chong, 19, did likewise against Southampton.

Anthony Martial has not featured since going off at halftime in the first game with Paris due to a groin strain.

Jesse Lingard suffered a hamstring injury in the first leg with Paris; he returned as a first-half substitute in the 0-0 draw against Liverpool at Old Trafford on 24 February, but had to be replaced before the interval after suffering a recurrence of the problem.

Juan Mata and Ander Herrera both also went off in the first half against Liverpool due to hamstring injuries, while Nemanja Matic has been out since a 2-0 FA Cup win at Chelsea on 18 February with a muscle problem.

Phil Jones (illness), Antonio Valencia (calf) and Matteo Darmian (knock) have all been sidelined.

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