We’re one sleep away from having the biggest club tournament in Europe back into our lives and one of the best ties awaits us on Tuesday night as Manchester United take on an injury-ridden Paris Saint-Germain.
When the draw results were first public, this match-up was seen to be one that favoured the French outfit. But recent developments including United’s resurgence and PSG’s injury crisis has opened up this fixture.
Neymar and Edinson Cavani – two of PSG’s best players – will miss the tie due to injuries and United will find the odds to be on the level.
We take a look at the key tactics Thomas Tuchel could employ in this key tie.
IMMOBILISE POGBA
Paul Pogba is the most creative player in United’s three-man midfield, with Ander Herrera operating in more of a controller’s role and Nemanja Matic acting as a screen in front of defence, often dropping deep to support the back-line.
Clearly, the Frenchman has been the linchpin of the rejuvenated United and keeping him silent could do a lot of good for the visitors.
Easier said than done, but PSG must use as many resources as possible to crowd Pogba out of the game. While this might provide some freedom for Herrera, United’s major creative outlet will be blocked.
Tasking Marquinhos with man-marking the World Cup winner can also help PSG cut the supply to United’s forwards and force them to play long balls from deep.
MBAPPE AS A FUSION OF NEYMAR AND CAVANI
Tuchel is likely to play Kylian Mbappe as a number nine given Cavani’s absence calls for the need of a goal-scorer to spearhead the side. But Mbappe is also the best creator for PSG with Neymar on the sideline.
Playing the Frenchman as a striker in a 3-5-2 or a 4-4-2 formation could be worth a shot, given their current situation. This will allow the youngster the freedom to drift wide and play to his strengths and pop up as a threat to United’s goal from the half-space.
This tactic provides more freedom than that of a pure nine and tasking Mbappe with playing the role of both Cavani and Neymar could be the key.
This is definitely a tough ask, but if the 20-year-old manages to pull it off, it could go down as one of the best performances of the season.
