Master of its destiny, PSG is playing its qualification for the round of 16 of the Champions League on the pitch of Borussia Dortmund.
21:09 – Wolf offside
Özcan opens the game on the right and sends Wolf deep. The German full-back is strangely alone and rushes towards the area but pushes his ball too much which allows Lucas Hernandez to rush back and tackle for a corner. The flag finally goes up to signal offside.
21:07 – Zaire-Emery hesitated
Left side, Mbappé impulses the movement and finds Barcola in the area with a lateral pass. The former Lyonnais cannot get into a shooting position and extends to the penalty spot for Zaire-Emery who does not dare to strike. The young international sees the German defense closing in on him.
21:06 – Too long
On the right side 25 meters away, Brandt curls his free kick between the Parisian defense and the goal. A difficult ball to manage but it crosses the surface without being able to be caught.
21:04 – Marquinhos plays firefighters
Zaire-Emery is dispossessed of the ball 20 m from the opposing goal and Dortmund begins a very quick counterattack. The game starts on the right side with the rise of Wolf. The German full-back transmits in the axis but his pass goes through a forest of legs to reach Bynoe-Gittens. The latter wants to be altruistic and looks for Reus who has projected himself in front of him at 6 m but Marquinhos puts himself on the trajectory and clears his camp.
21:02 – Kick-off in Dortmund
The Parisians kick off the match against Borussia Dortmundthe last of this Champions League group stage.
20:57 – Entry of both teams
The players from PSG and Borussia Dortmund enter the pitch at Signal Iduna Park in a very nice atmosphere.
20:46 – PSG qualified if..
Several scenarios could allow PSG to punch their ticket for the round of 16 of the Champions League. The French champion will qualify if he wins against Dortmund, and will finish first in Group F thanks to a better goal difference.
In the event of a draw and a defeat, he will have to hope that Newcastle do not win against AC Milan. Indeed, if PSG and Newcastle found themselves tied, the goal difference would be unfavorable to the Parisians, squeezed in the North of England (1-4) and incapable of doing better than a draw at home against the same opponent (1-1).
8:40 p.m. – Champions League version
Already qualified, Borussia Dortmund is having an excellent run in the Champions League. If he lost for his entry into the running against PSG (0-2), he has since chained a draw and above all three successes in a row, series in progress, conceding only one goal in his four matches, for six registered.
20:35 – Never under QSI
Since PSG became the property of QSI in 2011, they have never failed to advance past the group stage of the Champions League (12/12). The last time the Parisian club failed in its quest for the round of 16 in the competition dates back to the 2004-2005 season when it finished last in its group.
20:30 – Dortmund in need of continuity
Author of an excellent start to the season with one defeat in 14 matches until November 4, Borussia Dortmund has since struggled since losing 4 of its last 8 meetings, including the last at home, Sunday, against Leipzig ( 2-3).
20:25 – Twelve in a row
This season, Paris Saint-Germain has only remained silent twice in twenty matches played in all competitions. The last time was September 30 on the Clermont pitch (0-0). Since then, they have had 12 consecutive games where they have scored, with 30 goals over the period.
20:20 – The pass of three?
Paris Saint-Germain remains on two consecutive victories against Borussia Dortmund. Two victories by the same score: 2-0.
20:17 – Dortmund starting lineup
There is no question for Dortmund to play small in this last match of the group stage of the Champions League. The Germans intend to finish first and will play their way forward. In any case, this is what the composition concocted by Terzic indicates, who opted for a 4-1-4-1 with Füllkrug at the forefront supported by Reus and Brandt. Bynoe-Gittens and Adeyemi will play on the left and right wings. Özcan will be in charge of the link between the defense and the offensive line. Behind, Wolf, long uncertain, is finally established on the right flank where he will have to deal with the speed of Barcola. Süle is refocused in the axis with Hümmels, when Bensebaini will keep the left lane.
20:15 – The good Parisian start
During the first leg, Paris Saint-Germain ideally started its European season by winning at home against Dortmund (2-0). It was all decided upon returning from the locker room, Hakimi converting a penalty before Mbappé put PSG away.
20:10 – Act VI
This is the sixth time that Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund have met on the European scene. The statistical advantage is in favor of the Parisians who have two wins against only one at Schwarz-Gelben, for two draws.
20:07 – The composition of PSG with Barcola and Zaire-Emery
For this decisive match against Dortmund, Luis Enrique does not deviate from its 4-3-3 but has made strong choices. Back from suspension, Donnarumma regains his place as starting goalkeeper. It will be protected by a central axis formed by Marquinhos and Skriniar. Lucas Hernandez will play on the left flank and Hakimi on the right. In the middle, Ugarte is “sacrificed” for the benefit of Zaire-Emery, recovered from his injury. The young international will be accompanied by Vitinha and Lee Kang-In. Decisive against Nantes last weekend, Barcola won his place on the left of the Parisian attack where he will play with Mbappé and Kolo Muani.
20:05 – A Swedish referee blows the whistle
The match will be refereed by the Swede Mr. Glenn Nyberg. He will be assisted by his compatriots Mr. Mahbod Beigi and Mr. Andreas Söderqvist. Another Nordic Mr. Adam Ladebäck will officiate as 4th referee. Video refereeing will be provided by the Dutch pair Dennis Higler-Pol van Boekel.
8:00 p.m. – H-1!
There is only one hour left before the start of the meeting between Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain, which is decisive for the European future of the Parisian club.
7:20 p.m. – 3,800 Parisian supporters in Dortmund
While travel bans are increasing in France for supporters, 3,800 Parisian fans were able to travel to Dortmund to attend this decisive match. Among them, around 1000 members of the Collectif Ultras Paris, who arrived by bus. They were checked by the German police, who notably seized smoke bombs and fireworks.
18:40 – Potential opponents of PSG
If the Parisians win this evening and finish first in their group, they will face a second group in the round of 16: Copenhagen, PSV Eindhoven, Napoli, Inter Milan, RB Leipzig, Atlético Madrid or Lazio, FC Porto or Shakhtar Donetsk.
If the Parisians finish second in their group, they will have a much tougher draw against a group leader: Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Real Sociedad, Manchester City, FC Barcelona and Atlético Madrid or Lazio.
18:00 – A big weakness for Paris?
Edin Terzic, Borussia Dortmund coach, indicated at a press conference a weak point for PSG: “We saw what Paris showed, especially away from home, that they had difficulty closing spaces. first leg, we didn’t know how to exploit the spaces.” To prevent this problem, Luis Enrique could, according to certain media, align Lucas Hernandez in central defense alongside Marquinhos, rather than Milan Skriniar who does not shine with his speed.
17:20 – The Europa League, an opportunity to seize?
In the worst scenario, PSG will finish third in their group and will be transferred to Europa League This evening. This would obviously be a big disappointment for the players and the supporters. But it would also be the opportunity to win a trophy that the club has never offered itself, with at best a C3 semi-final in 1993 (called the UEFA Cup at the time). But also a real chance of becoming the first French club to win two European Cups, after the Cup Winners’ Cup (C2) in 1996. However, an early elimination in the Champions League, even in the event of a final victory in the League Europa, would represent a significant financial shortfall for PSG.
16:40 – Luis Enrique: “We will win this match”
Yesterday, at a press conference, the PSG coach was asked about the pressure felt before this decisive match: “I focus all the time on the positive. And the positive is that the outcome of this very difficult group depends on us to qualify and finish first. If we take things negatively, we will find problems. We can win this match and we will win this match.”
16:00 – No spirit of revenge for Dortmund
Edin Terzic, German-Croatian technician from Borussia Dortmund, assured at a press conference that his players wanted to win, but not to take revenge after the first leg: “Is there any revenge compared to the first leg (2- 0) ? Revenge is the wrong word when we talk about sport. It’s not what motivates us, but it’s the pleasure of winning matches. We’re playing tomorrow in front of 81,000 spectators against Paris, that’s motivation enough to give everything and come out victorious in the match.”