Football: PSG will know their next opponent in the Champions League

In a few hours, PSG will know the team it will face in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Whatever happens, Paris will find a European heavyweight. By making a metaphor with cycling, we could even say that it is an extraordinary pass that the Parisian club will have to climb.

The teams still in the running all have the distinction of having participated in a Champions League final in the last 20 years. For PSG, it was in 2020 with a defeat in the final against Bayern Munich. But this is also the case for Real Madrid with its gigantic record (14 Champions Leagues to its credit) or even Manchester City, the title holder.

Manchester City and Real Madrid, the most difficult draw

The English Manchester City and the Spaniards Real Madrid are the two big favorites for the Champions League. These are two teams to avoid at all costs, believes Guy Roux. “Manchester City does not always win the European Cup, but almost always goes to the semi or final. Pep Guardiola’s English play a very particular game since they deprive their opponents of balls, for PSG it is very clearly a bad client”, reports the Europe 1 consultant.

For Guy Roux, finding Real Madrid would not be good news either. “This legendary club relies on its great history and sometimes benefits from a little helping hand from the referee,” believes the former AJ Auxerre coach.

Mbappé will not play with the handbrake if PSG faces Real Madrid

But apart from the quality of the Madrid team, there is another element which comes into play, it is the presence of Kylian Mbappé who will leave PSG at the end of the season and could join Real Madrid. For the Europe 1 consultant, the Parisian captain will give his all without thinking about what happens next: “It’s a small problem of conscience, but we cannot think for a single moment that he is not giving the best of himself -same. On the other hand, we can imagine that Kylian Mbappé plays to 100% of his abilities, because the better he is, the more he will be welcomed with open arms in Madrid. In my opinion, the PSG striker would have the esteem of Madrid public if he were to eliminate Real with Paris”, concludes Guy Roux.

Among the scarecrows in this draw are also Bayern Munich. The Bavarians eliminated the Parisians last season. We will also have to be wary of FC Barcelona, ​​driven by its youth, or even Atletico Madrid, led by Antoine Griezmann. The Madrid team has just eliminated last year’s finalist, Inter Milan, in the round of 16.

Borussia Dortmund, the most favorable draw

For Paris, the most favorable draw would be to face Arsenal, who have just eliminated Porto on penalties, or Borussia Dortmund, underlines Alain Giresse. “Paris knows this team well, it seems the most approachable. Paris is not the favorite, but is not an outsider in this Champions League either,” underlines the former PSG coach and Europe 1 consultant. This season, in the group stage, the Parisians did not lose any of the two matches they played against German footballers.