Champions League: PSG vs Red Bulls…Round Three

Paris Saint-Germain vs RB Leipzig

Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig will meet at the Parc des Princes this week in Round Three of the 2021/22 Champions League.

And it’s the third time these two European powerhouses have encountered each other in the last two campaigns. It was honours even at the Champions League group stage last season but the Ligue 1 side came out on top in the 2019/20 semi-final.

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Premier League

And, of course, this is a battle of Europe’s nouveau riche. Who knows, following last week’s announcement of the Saudi takeover of Newcastle United, maybe the Geordies will join this new set of big spending and hugely ambitious clubs. But for now, these two teams are well ahead of their incoming member, particularly the Parisiens.

Mauricio Pochettino’s PSG are one of three teams heading up the Champions League 2021 betting odds, at a price of 5.00 here at SBOTOP. Manchester City and FC Bayern make up the trio, and Champions League Group A is the most likely to produce the winner at odds of 2.35. Hosts PSG will take a big step towards the knockout phase with a win in Paris on Tuesday.

Talking Points

Could this be the year of the French?

The France national team rules the planet as 2018 world champions, but, domestically, the French have always lagged behind their four more established rivals in England, Spain, Italy and Germany.

Paris Saint-Germain aim to change all that, the recent signing of Lionel Messi signals their intentions, and they have as good a chance as anyone to lift the 2022 European title.

Messi was in magical form in PSG’s recent 2-0 win over Manchester City, scoring his first goal for his new club and he is joint-third favourite, at odds of 11.00, to finish as the Champions League top scorer.

Having already beaten Manchester City, and at odds of 1.65, Pochettino’s team is favourite to top the group. A win over Leipzig will go a long way to cementing that top spot and easing the path to the Round of 16.

Paris Saint-Germain expect Lionel Messi to net goals against RB Leipzig during their Champions League clash — Lionel Messi in action for Paris Saint-Germain during Ligue 1 match against Stade Rennes at Roazhon Park

They have stuttered a little recently, falling to a shock defeat to Rennes before the international break. They also struggled to overcome Angers on Friday, coming from behind to win thanks to a late Kylian Mbappe penalty. But PSG have recorded ten wins, one draw and two defeats in all competitions this season so Pochettino’s team is not far away.

Red Bulls’ transition is slower than hoped

I can’t say the same for the visitors though, and the pressure on Jesse Marsch hasn’t lifted since the American walked through the doors at Leipzig in the summer.

With only three wins from nine games die Roten Bullen sit in eighth place in the Bundesliga and are way off the pace, already seven points behind league leaders Borussia Dortmund, while sitting bottom of Champions League Group A after falling to two defeats.

Leipzig seem to be missing Dayot Upamecano in defence and Marcel Sabitzer, in midfield, after both headed to FC Bayern in the summer. The German club will also be without creative midfielder Dani Olmo who is sidelined through injury.

Midfielder Christopher Nkunku has been a bright spark in Leipzig’s season so far, scoring four goals in his two Champions League starts. But while PSG beat rivals Manchester City, Leipzig suffered a 6-3 thumping at the hands of the Sky Blues and that’s a decent benchmark for this game.

History

These two recently arrived heavyweights have previously met four times in total and have won two victories each.

Following a Red Bull friendly win in 2014, PSG won the semi-final encounter in 2020 by a comfortable 3-0 margin, as Angel Di Maria put in a man-of-the-match performance. Then, in Group H of the 2020/21 campaign each team won their home fixture by a single goal, 1-0 to Paris and 2-1 to Leipzig.

But recent form favours the hosts who are unbeaten in 12 matches in Paris, winning the last eight, while Leipzig are without a victory in their last five away games.

Betting Tip

	Paris Saint-Germain vs RB Leipzig	Paris Saint-Germain Asian Handicap -1.25 @ 1.93
	October 20, 03:00 (GMT+8)

When this week’s Champions League 2021 updates roll in, all eyes will be on this clash as the world watches to see how Paris stands up to its position as a tournament favourite.

At odds of 1.39 the Parisiens are hot favourites to win the tie, with the draw at 4.55 and Leipzig at a price of 6.37 to grab a much needed three points… and I can’t see this going any other way than a comfortable home win.