Champions League: All Pressure on Parisians in Portugal

Paris Saint-Germain vs Atalanta

There are few sights more heart-warming in the Champions League than a provincial club beating one of Europe’s free-scoring big boys.

Yet that can’t be ruled out in Germany this midweek as competition debutants take on mega-rich aristocrats.

Atalanta may not possess any of the superstars of their opponents, Paris St Germain, but they can be a match for anyone on their day as sides across Europe have been fast finding out.

Talking Points

Valencia were among the teams to feel the full force of the Bergamo club in March.

On that occasion, Josip Ilicic was the hero of the hour as the Spaniards were ruthlessly dispatched 8-4 on aggregate – a result which they struggled to recover from following the restart.

Not content with becoming the oldest player to score an away Champions League hat-trick, aged 32 years and 41 days, Ilicic also added a fourth in that contest to cap a superb individual display and fire Atalanta to the last eight of Europe’s top table.

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UEFA – Champions League

Regardless of what happens in the Estadio da Luz, they will also be back in the tournament next season after clinching a superb third place in the Serie A table with impressive results against the likes of Lazio and champions Juventus.

What’s more, they have racked up an eye-watering 98 goals to date so why shouldn’t we expect more Champions League highlights from Gian Piero Gasperini and his men.

The Italians suffered a blow this week when they learnt that goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini would be out of action for around two months after the shot-stopper landed awkwardly on one leg during the final Serie A league game – later confirmed as a knee ligament tear.

Yet while a blow, here is a team which keeps defying expectations and challenges thrown at them and all the pressure will be on Paris St Germain from the kick-off.

For PSG have been on a crusade to win Europe’s top prize ever since 2011 when the Qatari Investment Authority bought the club.

Nine years and one billion Euros on, they have still not progressed beyond this stage – the quarter-finals – in that time.

There’s mixed news ahead of their showdown which effectively opens the final eight of the tournament in Lisbon.

It looks like the influential Marco Verratti will be missing after picking up an injury in training. Layvin Kurzawa is also a serious doubt, Thomas Meunier is out, Edinson Cavani has left the club and Angel Di Maria is suspended.

Although it’s still highly unlikely he will start, it appears the possibility of Kylian Mbappé making an appearance can’t be ruled out.

Kylian Mbappe is racing against time to be fit for the Champions League match against Atalanta — Kylian Mbappe warming up before the friendly match between Paris Saint-Germain and Le Havre

That’s because he has been seen training, albeit on his own, just a few weeks after spraining his ankle. Even a cameo from the bench could be a massive boost for the Parisians.

As if to sum up their week, coach Thomas Tuchel himself was also an unexpected addition to the club’s injury list when the German coach sprained an ankle and broke a bone in his foot during a training session.

With a big squad though, it is not so many injuries as match fitness that could be the biggest concern for Tuchel.

Indeed, the hastily taken decision to abandon, rather than suspend, the French football league after Covid-19 hit, could well come back to haunt its free-spending champions.

Since then, PSG have hardly kicked a ball competitively, aside from their narrow League Cup triumph against Lyon and a French Cup success against St Etienne just over a week ago.

In contrast, Serie A bosses have managed to get their league up and running.

For all the training in the world, you cannot replicate match fitness.

It remains to be seen how much of a factor that could be.

History

These sides have never met before, perhaps no surprise given this is Atalanta’s first season in the competition. They are the first debutants in the competition to reach the last eight since Leicester City three years ago.

Betting Tip

	Paris Saint-Germain vs Atalanta	Atalanta First Half Asian Handicap 0.00 @ 2.35
	August 13, 03:00 (GMT+8)

As one of the favourites, it’s no surprise the SBOBET Champions League betting odds back PSG to triumph against the competition debutants.

The French side can be backed 1X2 @ 2.06 or Asian Handicap -0.75 @ 2.36.

If you fancy Atalanta, then how about 1X2 @ 3.25 – the draw is on offer @ 3.60 – or Asian Handicap +0.25 @ 2.16.

For two sides which have been free-scoring, over 3.25 goals will payout @ 2.16 and total goal 4-6 @ 2.57.

So, who will progress to the semi-finals?

Well, PSG are clearly a far more expensively assembled outfit with big money star players but I am not sure they are 100 per cent match fit after just two competitive games in nearly five months.