Paris Saint-Germain will welcome Benfica to Parc des Princes this Tuesday for a top-of-the-table clash in the UEFA Champions League group stage.
Venue: Parc des Princes (Paris)
Key Statistics
Paris Saint-Germain are unbeaten in their last 23 competitive games (W17, D6).
They have won their last three home games.
The hosts have kept seven clean sheets in 14 competitive games this season.
Benfica are unbeaten in their last 17 games in all competitions (W15, D2).
They have scored 2+ goals in 13 of their 16 games this season.
They have conceded just two goals in the UCL this season.
Head to head
In seven meetings between both sides in Europe, PSG have recorded just two wins while Benfica have four wins.
Latest performances in all competitions
PSG: D-D-W-W-W
Benfica: W-D-D-W-W
Paris Saint-Germain
After an impeccable start to the season, the cracks seems to be appearing in the well-oiled PSG side.
The host’s record eleven wins out of their first 12 games (D1) of the campaign. But they come into this tie without a win in their last two games.
One of those draws came in a 1-1 draw against Benfica in the reverse fixture. They now followed that up with a goalless draw against Reims in their last outing.
The game saw Sergio Ramos receive his 28th career sending-off–a record–and also saw PSG fail to score for the first time since March when they were beaten 3-0 by Monaco.
Injury to star player Neymar Junior has not helped while the constant complaints of Kylian Mbappe has also proved to be a distraction, with the Frenchman’s latest antics being criticising the coach for playing him as a striker.
While it is still early days to criticize or write off Christophe Galtier’s side, the title-winning coach will know that he cannot afford to drop any further points in this group as that will jeopardize his side’s chances of finishing top of the group.
Possible PSG starting line-up
Gianluigi Donnarumma; Danilo Pereira, Sergio Ramos, Marquinhos; Achraf Hakimi, Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz, Nuno Mendes; Hugo Ekitiké; Kylian Mbappe, Neymar.
Injured: Nuno Mendes, Lionel Messi, Presnel Kimpembe, Renato Sanches
Doubtful: None
Suspended: Marco Verratti
Benfica
Benfica have continued to surprise many this season with their brand of attacking football.
The visitors have been one of the surprise packages of the UEFA Champions League this season as they currently sit joint top of their group, level in points with PSG and four points ahead of a more illustrious name as Juventus.
They come into this tie unbeaten in their last 17 games in all competitions (W15, D2). The last of their wins this season came at the weekend, in a 4-2 win over Rio Ave in the Portuguese league.
And so, they will travel to France full of confidence, knowing that a win here will seal a top-two finish from this group.
Possible Benfica starting line-up
Odisseas Vlachodimos; Gilberto, Antonio Silva, Nicolas Otamendi, Alejandro Grimaldo; Enzo Fernandez, Florentino Luis; David Neres, Rafa Silva, Julian Draxler; Petar Musa.
Injured: Lucas Verissimo, Felipe Morato
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Prediction
PSG 2-1 Benfica
