Man City vs PSG LIVE: Champions League result, final score and reaction tonight
Follow all the reaction after two of football’s heavyweights vied for top spot in Group A
Gabriel Jesus completed Manchester City’s comeback to beat Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 and secure a place in the round of 16 of the Champions League as group winners on Wednesday. PSG is also sure of going through as runner-up in Group A thanks to Leipzig beating Club Brugge 5-0. The clash of the competition’s wealthiest teams, who are yet to win European football’s top prize, fully came to life in the 50th minute when Kylian Mbappe put PSG ahead after an interchange between Lionel Messi and Neymar. But the attacking dominance by City that defined the first half saw Raheem Sterling’s outstretched left foot nudge in a cross from Kyle Walker to equalize in the 63rd. After Neymar missed a chance to restore PSG’s lead, Bernado Silva teeed up Gabriel Jesus who connected with scuffed shot that still beat Keylor Navas in the 76th. Follow all the latest updates below.
Man City vs PSG: Mauricio Pochettino insists he is ‘so happy’ at PSG amid Manchester United interest
Mauricio Pochettino insisted he was “happy” at Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday amid reports that he is Manchester United’s first choice to succeed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Pochettino, whose PSG squad face Manchester City on Wednesday, is understood to be interested in joining United, possibly even before the summer, but said the speculation was part of football and that he remains happy in Paris.
Mauricio Pochettino insists he’s ‘happy’ at PSG amid Manchester United interest
The Argentine is understood to be interested in returning to the Premier League
Man City vs PSG: City yet to concede against Paris at home
Manchester City have not conceded a goal in their previous three home Uefa club competition matches against Paris Saint-Germain.
They have won both of their home games against Paris in the Champions League without conceding a goal, triumphing 1-0 in April 2016 and 2-0 in May 2021. If they keep another clean sheet tonight, a place in the knockout stages await.
Man City vs PSG: Pochettino on Sergio Ramos
Four-time Champions League winner Sergio Ramos has to settle for a place on the bench tonight as he awaits his first appearance for Paris Saint-Germain since joining the French side in the summer.
Ramos has been out with a calf injury and PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino doesn’t want to rush Ramos’s recovery saying:
He’s doing well, in the last few weeks he’s been with us in training, and he’s going to get back to full fitness step by step. This is the first step, which is important. Then, when the opportunity arises, he will play. But we shouldn’t rush, because we want him to be at the same level of fitness as his teammates.”
Man City vs PSG: Team changes
Pep Guardiola makes three changes to the Manchester City starting XI that defeated Everton 3-0 at the weekend. Ruben Dias comes in to replace Aymeric Laporte, Oleksandr Zinchenko replaces Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez is in for Cole Palmer. There are only six substitutes named on the bench with neither Phil Foden nor Jack Grealish in the squad.
Mauricio Pochettino makes four changes to the Paris Saint-Germain side that beat Nantes in Ligue 1 on Saturday. Nuno Mendes, Presnel Kimpembe and Marquinhos join Achraf Hakimi in the back line with Ander Herrera replacing Marco Verratti in midfield.
Man City vs PSG: Line-ups
Man City XI: Ederson, Walker, Dias, Stones, Zinchenko, Gundogan, Rodri, Joao Cancelo, Mahrez, Bernardo Silva, Sterling
PSG XI: Navas, Hakimi, Marquinhos, Kimpembe, Nuno Mendes, Paredes, Herrera, Gueye, Messi, Mbappe, Neymar
Man City vs PSG: Gundogan on Pochettino
Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan believes that the familiarity between Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino will play into the PSG boss’s hands when the two sides clash this evening.
Unlike his own manager Gundogan thinks that previous matches - in which Pochettino has triumphed - give Paris Saint-Germain a slight edge over the Premier League champions despite the game being tough for both clubs. Gundogan said:
I think the biggest challenge, for both teams to be honest, is that both managers know each other quite well,
"Unfortunately, he was able to beat us in the past quite regularly and also in important games. That’s not really an advantage for us."
Man City vs PSG: Away day struggles for PSG
Paris St-Germain have only won 20% of their meetings with Manchester City in the Champions League. Among teams they have faced at least five times in the competition, only against Real Madrid (17%) do they have a lower win percentage.
PSG are winless in their last three away games in the Champions League with two draws and one defeat. They could go without an away victory in the group stage of the competition in a single season for the first time since 2004/05.
Man City vs PSG: Guardiola plays down previous results against Pochettino
In recent meetings Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino has come up trumps with his Champions League gameplans against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
PSG won the last meeting between the clubs 2-0 and before that Pochettino’s Tottenham defeated City in the 2019 Champions League quarter-finals.
For his part Pep Guardiola insists his past meetings with the Argentine will have no bearing on this latest clash saying:
"It’s completely different - different countries, players, shapes. Even with the same manager and same team from one year it can be different - new players, many things can happen."
Man City vs PSG: PSG hopeful that Kylian Mbappe will be fit to face Man City
Paris Saint-Germain are hopeful World Cup-winner Kylian Mbappe will be fit to face Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday.
The France forward, who scored in the Ligue 1 leaders’ victory over Nantes on Saturday, missed training on Monday through illness.
Mbappe was well enough to travel with the squad to England for the Group A encounter at the Etihad Stadium and was due to be assessed after training on Tuesday evening.
PSG hopeful that Kylian Mbappe will be fit to face Man City in Champions League
The France forward, who scored in the Ligue 1 leaders’ victory over Nantes on Saturday, missed training on Monday through illness
Man City vs PSG: The permutations
Manchester City will join Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea in the Champions League last-16 if they can avoid defeat against Paris Saint-Germain tonight.
Pep Guardiola’s men will also qualify if Club Brugges fail to beat RB Leipzig in the other Group A match regardless of the result at the Etihad Stadium.
In the previous meeting between these two teams PSG beat City 2-0 at Parc des Princes in September, although the group has since turned round with Man City now in top spot and needing only a point from their second meeting to advance.
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