Borussia Dortmund vs PSG
Champions League
Date: Tuesday, 18 February 2020
Kick-off at 20:00 UK / 21:00 CET
Venue: Signal Iduna Park (Dortmund).
Team News
Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund will be without captain Marco Reus and creative lynchpin Julian Brandt, as confirmed by Lucien Favre in the pre-match press conference.
Brandt absence will pave the way for Emre Can to maintain its role in midfield alongside the ever-present figure of Axel Witsel. Both players will play a key role in addressing the technically gifted midfielder PSG in the second row of the press.
absence of Reus', meanwhile, means thorgan hazard is a guaranteed starter in the team together with Jadon Sancho, in a broader attack slot. Both will provide a much needed service to lone striker Erling Haaland, who scored in the eighth Bundesliga win over Eintracht Frankfurt.
Elsewhere, Achraf Hakimi and Raphael Guerreiro both guaranteed to be deployed as a wing-back, with Favre likely to maintain its 3-4-3 setup.
Mats Hummels is expected to lead the Dortmund back line, with additional support from Manuel Akanji and Lukasz Piszczek, which is likely to get the nod ahead of experienced Dan-Axel Zagadou. And finally, Roman Burki is set to retain his place in goal over Marwin Hitz.
Possible Lineup (3-4-3): Burki; Piszczek, Hummels, Akanji; Hakimi, Witsel, Can, Guerreiro; Sancho, Haaland, Hazard
Paris Saint Germain
Tuchel could be boosted by the return of Neymar this week. Brazil was traveling with the team to Dortmund and we expect him to replace Julian Draxler in the left wing, with the possibility to operate with PSG 4-4-2. Angel Di Maria may retain his place on the opposite side, however.
Meanwhile, former Dortmund star Abdou Diallo has not been included in the squad along with Leandro Paredes. But, we can still expect a drastic change in the defense, with the likes of Thomas Meunier, Juan Bernat and Marquinhos tend to return to the side.
In midfield, Marco Verratti was among the substitutes against Amiens. But Italy is more than expected to operate in two shaft this time, along with Idrissa Gueye. The former Everton star is likely to get the nod ahead of Ander Herrera.
And finally, PSG attack will be led by a strong offensive duo Kylian Mbappe and Mauro Icardi. This will be the first Mbappe-match against Dortmund as a PSG player and it will be interesting to see how Tuchel utilize quality in midweek.
Possible Lineup (4-4-2): Navas; Meunier, Marquinhos, Silva, Bernat; Di Maria, Gueye, Verratti, Neymar; Icardi, Mbappe.
PREDICTION
Borussia Dortmund bounced back from two successive defeats with a 4-0 win over Frankfurt on Friday night. All eyes will be on Jadon Sancho, who has played a direct hand in 26 goals in 20 league games this season.
Paris Saint-Germain drew 4-4 with Amiens on weekends, although with a heavy hand played. French side have been knocked out at this stage of the competition in each of the last three seasons, which is just not good enough for a club with a level of investment.
Dortmund's eight games have averaged 5.5 goals per game, while PSG's last five have an average of 5.8 goals per game. Attacking talents at the disposal of both teams is scary and all lead to what should be the match of the liver.
Prediction: Borussia Dortmund 2 2 Paris Saint-Germain
Borussia Dortmund vs PSG Betting tips
a double opportunity: Borussia Dortmund or Draw @ 1.60 (3/5)
Over 2.5 goals @ 1.40 (2/5).
