12 Jun 2019
Manchester United have it all to do on Wednesday evening if they are to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League, following their 2-0 home defeat by Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Round of 16 tie.
United were flying ahead of the first leg at Old Trafford, but PSG took the wind out of their sails with a comfortable win, as United failed to trouble the French giants.
The result leaves PSG as heavy favourites to reach the last eight, and the Genting Casino Champions League odds to win the second leg are 8/15.
Manchester United are 11/2 to win the match, with the draw at 10/3.
United boss Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer is also missing a number of key players through injury and suspension, so the hero of the treble-winning United side of 1999 will have to shuffle the pack if he is to bring his side back from the brink.
Team news
United’s playmaker Paul Pogba is suspended for picking up a red card in the first leg, which opens the door for Andreas Pereira to deputise in the creative role. He scored a superb header in the 3-2 win over Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday, a result that keeps United in the hunt for a Top Four place.
While they may be 80/1 to win the Champions League, they currently occupy fourth place in the Premier League table, a point above Arsenal and two above sixth-placed Chelsea, and are 11/10 to earn a Top Four spot at the end of the season. Sunday’s clash at Arsenal may go a long way to determining who plays in the Champions League next season and who does not.
With Ander Herrera out injured along with Nemanja Matic, Scot McTominay and Fred may start alongside Pereira in midfield against PSG.
Alexis Sanchez’s knee injury, picked up against Southampton, means he will also likely miss out. Anthony Martial suffered a groin injury in the first leg and is unlikely to be risked, while Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata are also ruled out through injury.
This means Solskjaer has little option but to persist with a front paring of Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford. Lukaku has been in fine form of late, with four goals in his last two appearances, and is 13/5 to score at any time at the Parc des Princes.
PSG coach Thomas Tuchel will also be without star man Neymar due to a metatarsal injury, but Edinson Cavani could be available after missing the first leg, although it seems likely he will be on the bench.
Mbappe on the mark?
PSG still have plenty of fire-power with Angel Di Maria and Kylian Mbappe, so it is easy to see why the Genting Casino Champions League football odds have PGS at 11/2 to win ‘old big ears’ behind favourites Manchester City (11/4) and Barcelona (9/2).
Two goals from Mbappe gave PSG a 2-1 come-from-behind win at Caen over the weekend, to move 20 points clear of second-placed Lille in Ligue 1. The France World Cup winner has now netted 30 times this season – that double made it seven goals in his last five games – and Mbappe is 8/13 to score at any time against United, while 9/4 to grab the first goal.
United have kept on winning in the Premier League, but they have looked far from solid at the back.
However, their failure to score in the first leg was only the second time in their last 22 games and it is 4/7 that PSG will fail to keep a clean sheet.
Given that United will have to throw caution to the wind, PSG to win but both teams to score at 2/1 might tempt a few.
Since losing to Liverpool at Anfield on December 16, United have won each of their last eight away games so it may be worthwhile looking at the odds of 7/5 for both teams to score and either team to win.
For all the odds on this big game, click here.
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