Paris Saint-Germain went through all the states last night. Qualified at kick-off, the capital club hoped to put in a great match against Borussia Dortmund. But Luis Enrique’s men also knew that they had no room for error since Newcastle and AC Milan wanted to overtake them in the final sprint. In Germany, the French champions experienced moments of doubt, especially after Karim Adeyemi’s goal and the Magpies’ opening score at the same time. Once eliminated, PSG finally validated its ticket for the round of 16 thanks to its jewel Warren Zaire-Emery (1-1).
PSG is in pot 2
A draw which pleased Luis Enrique, who asked his men to manage the end of the match while the Rossoneri, third in the group, overthrew the Toons. But this attitude was not at all to Kylian Mbappé’s taste. The 24-year-old wanted to play hard until the end so that the Ile-de-France residents could take first place. The Frenchman was very annoyed after the meeting. Present since 2017 in the capital, he knows very well how important it is to finish at the top of his group, having experienced numerous disappointments.
But PSG, second, risks crossing paths with a major European player between the months of February and March 2024. Indeed, Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Real Sociedad, Manchester City, Atlético Madrid and FC Barcelona are all seeded. Enough to worry Paris, which has not shown an attractive face this season. But the potential rivals of the French club are not necessarily reassured this Thursday morning. The French team is the team to avoid for many of them. Represented by four clubs, Spain fears this PSG.
Spain fears Mbappé and his family
“Madrid, Real Sociedad, Barça and Atlético finish first. PSG will be the big bomb in the draw, as they finish second”title A.S.. “All qualified Spaniards will therefore be seeded and can all be the rivals of Luis Enrique and Mbappé’s PSG, without a doubt the great threat of this round despite the difficulties and the irregularity that haunts them”, specifies the Iberian media which is surprised to see Paris in this position. Same observation on the side of Marca who titled: “PSG saves the match ball in Dortmund and will be the bogeyman of the Spaniards in the round of 16”.
The Spanish publication added: “this project was not built to give this image in Europe. Everyone is looking with fear at the second pot of the draw because Mbappé’s PSG is in it.” On the other side of the Pyrenees, we are not necessarily delighted to see PSG in pot 2. In Germany, Bayern Munich has a good chance of crossing paths with Mbappé and his teammates. “Thomas Tuchel would come immediately to pick him up on his bike, but Kylian Mbappé could arrive in Munich sooner than Bayern fans would like. Maybe? Even very probable, or rather very probable!”explain Sports 1.
Germany and England rely on probabilities
The German media adds: “for the Munich team, this means that with a probability of 17.30%, Paris Saint-Germain with superstar Kylian Mbappé will be their opponent in the round of 16! This puts the French just ahead of other possible opponents, PSV Eindhoven, SSC Napoli, Inter Milan, Lazio Rome and FC Porto, all with a probability of 16.54%. In England, we also talk about the chances of coming across the Parisian ogre. And it is Manchester City, defending champion, who has the best chance of playing against PSG.
“The Parisians now risk facing tough opposition in the round of 16, having finished second in the group behind Dortmund (…) Man City, Pep Guardiola’s team, who beat Red Star Belgrade earlier in the evening, would have a 14.75% chance of facing the Ligue 1 champions”Write the Daily Mail, which specifies that Arsenal has only 13.59% to fall on Paris. Second in his group, Luis Enrique’s PSG is already scary…
