Defending champions PSG will look to keep their perfect start in the UCL intact when they hit the road to face Villarreal.
Having lost two out of their three UCL games, Villarreal will be desperate to get something out of this home game, but going up against Luis Enrique’s PSG, who have won the last two editions of the competition, won’t be an easy task.
The home team are 19th in the table with just three points from as many outings. They started the campaign with a 3-2 defeat to Borussia Dortmund, but stunned Napoli to win 3-1 before losing 4-3 to Liverpool. Results might not have gone their way against Dortmund and Liverpool, but they did put up a very strong fight.
Villarreal will be hoping for a similar effort in front of their own fans. Their league form hasn’t been that great either, as they have lost five out of their 11 games and are heading into this one on the back of a 1-0 defeat to Espanyol. The Yellow Submarine will have to be at their very best if they want to take down PSG.
The visitors are top of the UCL table with three wins in as many outings. They smashed Slovan Bratislava 6-1 in their first outing and have backed it up with 4-2 wins over Manchester City and Barcelona. While their record in the UCL has been exceptional, they did lose a few key players to injury in the win over the Catalan giants.
They are top of Ligue 1 as well and are heading into this fixture on the back of a 5-1 win over Le Havre. Despite the absence of a few key stars, the French giants will still be clear favourites to win heading into this fixture. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Ilias Akhomach is out with a muscular issue, while Gerard Moreno, Nathan Saliba, Alassane Diatta and Juan Foyth are all major doubts. Even if all of them are unavailable, Villarreal could still put together a strong enough XI to take on PSG.
Villarreal are likely to line up in a 4-2-1-3 formation, with Peter Gulacsi starting in goal. Santiago Mourino and Sergi Cardona should occupy the full-back positions, while Renato Veiga is expected to partner Pau Navarro in central defence.
Santi Comesana and Pape Gueye are likely to form the midfield double pivot, providing defensive protection while helping Villarreal initiate attacks.
Tani Oluwaseyi should operate in the advanced midfield role, linking the midfield with the attack. Tajon Buchanan and Alberto Moleiro are expected to provide width, while Georges Mikautadze leads the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-1-3): Gulacsi; Mourino, Navarro, Veiga, Cardona; Comesana, Gueye; Oluwaseyi; Buchanan, Mikautadze, Moleiro
The French giants will be without the services of Ousmane Dembele (hamstring), Marquinhos (hamstring), Nuno Mendes (leg) and Alessandro Longoni (leg) due to injury. Meanwhile, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s season has ended early because of a cruciate ligament tear.
Despite being without so many key players, PSG might still have enough quality in their ranks to dominate proceedings in this fixture.
PSG are likely to line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Matvey Safonov starting in goal. Achraf Hakimi and Lucas Hernandez should occupy the full-back positions, while Lucas Beraldo is expected to partner Willian Pacho in central defence.
Vitinha should operate at the base of the midfield, with Warren Zaire-Emery and Dro Fernandez providing support on either side. The trio will look to control the tempo and ensure they dominate proceedings.
Desire Doue and Maghnes Akliouche are likely to feature on the flanks, while Ferran Torres leads the line as PSG look to make the most of their attacking quality.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Safonov; Hakimi, Beraldo, Pacho, Hernandez; Zaire-Emery, Vitinha, Fernandez; Doue, Torres, Akliouche
The 26-year-old World Cup winner has had an impressive start to life at PSG. He has been involved in 12 matches and has contributed towards eight goals. However, he has failed to bag a goal since the end of September.
He didn’t have much of an impact against Manchester City or Barcelona, and with some of their key attackers unavailable, Enrique will hope Torres can step up and deliver against Villarreal. He certainly has the quality to have a big say in the end result of this game.
Villarreal have shown that they can trouble some of Europe’s strongest sides, as demonstrated by their performances against Napoli and Liverpool. However, their inconsistent domestic form and defensive vulnerabilities could make this a difficult evening against the reigning European champions.
The Yellow Submarine will have to remain compact and take their chances whenever they come, but containing PSG’s attacking threat over 90 minutes will be a significant challenge. PSG have been in exceptional form, winning their first three Champions League fixtures and scoring freely in the process.
Even with several key attackers unavailable, Luis Enrique has enough quality in his squad to cause Villarreal plenty of problems. The visitors should dominate possession, create numerous opportunities and extend their winning run with another convincing performance. The Hard Tackle predicts another dominating 4-1 win for the French giants.
