Champions League preview: Newcastle vs Paris Saint-Germain, RB Leipzig vs Man City
Newcastle vs Paris Saint-Germain
Newcastle have warmed up for this clash nicely, having won four of their last five matches whilst keeping clean sheets across each of those games.
Last season, Paris Saint-Germain were held to two draws by Benfica in the group stage. There’s little reason to think the Magpies can’t get something at St James’ Park.
The Parisiens are off to a faintly underwhelming start in Ligue 1. While Paris are only two points behind leaders Monaco, they currently sit fifth in the league table – an unfamiliar position for a club more accustomed to taking pole position.
Now coached by Luis Enrique, PSG lost Neymar and Lionel Messi in the summer, but still boast Kylian Mbappe. The 24-year-old scored against Borussia Dortmund in the side’s opening CL fixture last month, and is the obvious danger for Eddie Howe’s side here.
Given Howe’s success with Newcastle has been built on a solid defence, perhaps it’s wise not to assume a footballing blockbuster brimming with goals awaits on Wednesday night.
But even with the Magpies’ ability to keep teams at bay, Mbappe may be able to plot his way through the host’s defence; he has a total of eight goals already this season, and is 27/25 to score at any time here.
Newcastle may not be able to take the win, but they can at least share the spoils. Following the Mags away draw to Napoli, this could be another stalemate; the draw is a 13/5 shot.
RB Leipzig vs Man City
Man City have slipped to back-to-back defeats in the run-up to this game. Could Pep Guardiola find himself flummoxed for a third match on the bounce this midweek?
This is City’s second visit to the Red Bull Arena in 2023; they drew with RB Leipzig 1-1 back in February – though the Manchester side went on to win 7-0 in the reverse fixture a month later.
Haaland scored five goals in that 7-0 demolition job. The prolific Norwegian netted six times against Leipzig in four meetings when he was a Dortmund player too.
Still, Leipzig are in decent form; they’ve won all but two of their games this season, losing to a Bayer Leverkusen side that’s top of the Bundesliga, and drawing this weekend to Bayern Munich.
On home territory, the German side are not an easy team to beat. City’s two recent defeats underline their vulnerability, too. Then again, it’s rare for the Manchester side to stack up too many disappointments; Guardiola’s team haven’t lost three games in a row since 2018.
Marco Rose may not be able to prevent City from getting something here, but his side could at least restrict the damage. Five of City’s away games in the CL last season ended either 1-1 or goalless.
This is another match that’s liable to be tight, and backing under 2.5 goals at 6/5 gives you a little wiggle room for a winning bet. If you prefer a bigger price, the 1-1 scoreline could definitely make a reappearance – and is priced at 13/2.
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