Champions League: Basque Test for Ambitious Paris

Real Sociedad vs Paris Saint-Germain

Paris Saint-Germain are back in Champions League action on Tuesday when they head to San Sebastian, where they will aim to finish the job on Real Sociedad.

The Ligue 1 giants won the Round of 16 first leg 2-0 thanks to goals from Kylian Mbappe and Bradley Barcola and are hot favourites to make it through to the last eight. Imanol Alguacil’s Sociedad were dumped out of the Cop Del Rey by Mallorca last Thursday and then lost away to Sevilla on Saturday, while Luis Enrique’s PSG drew away to Monaco on Friday night. The extra day’s preparation plays well for the visitors. 

PSG are one of Europe’s powerhouses, but they have yet to win the Champions League, and while there are some incredible teams to beat, the Parisiens’ ambitions know no limits, and a big slip-up in the Basque is unthinkable, but not impossible. 

Talking Points

Sociedad’s season in danger of fizzling out

One win in nine games, including three consecutive goalless draws, has left Sociedad fans rather underwhelmed after their club performed consistently well in the first half of the campaign.

La Real are out of the Copa del Rey, way off the pace in La Liga with a mountain to climb to reach the top four and Champions League qualification and, this season, staring a European exit in the face.

Defeat in the Copa was a serious blow. Facing the one team they have beaten recently, Real Mallorca, they had the tie in their hands after drawing the first away leg 0-0.

It all started going wrong when Giovanni Gonzalez gave Mallorca a lead, but Mikel Oyarzabal levelled to take the game into extra time and then penalties. Oyarzabal was the only man to miss a spot-kick, and so Mallorca, sitting in the lower reaches of the Primera Division, now have a final to look forward to. 

So back to the one remaining competition, La Real are still in. They are at a SBOTOP price of 6.55 to turn his tie around. It’s not impossible, but it would certainly be one of the Champions League 2024 results of the round if Alguacil’s men manage to pull it off.

 The hosts do have some serious quality in their ranks, including wing-back Kieran Tierney, on loan from Arsenal, highly rated Spain midfielder Martin Zubimendi, and forwards Brais Mendez, who has three goals in the competition, and Oyarzabal, who has two. Both Mendez and Oyarzabal started on the bench against Sevilla and will surely make the first eleven on Tuesday.

Paris prepares for life after Mbappe

The Champions League 2024 betting odds price Paris Saint-Germain at 13.00 to win the tournament, and the pressure has been mounting steadily in recent years. Luis Enrique is the latest manager to try his luck at the Parc des Princes, and he will be the last to have PSG talisman Kylian Mbappe in his squad.

The France star has four goals in the competition, including one in the first leg against Sociedad, and he is to- scoring in Ligue 1 with 21 goals from 22 games. PSG’s trip to Monaco on Friday turned out to be a rather tame affair, and Mbappe was replaced at halftime by Randal Kolo Muani.

He has agreed to go to Real Madrid in the summer, and coach Enrique insisted, in a post-match press conference, that he is already preparing for life after Mbappe, saying: “It was 100 per cent the coach’s decision, because sooner or later we will have to get used to playing without Kylian Mbappe. I took this decision for the good of the team.”

I’m pretty sure that, ‘for the good of the team’ Mbappe will start against Sociedad. With the league as good as won, Enrique will play his best eleven as long as PSG are in European competition. Ousmane Dembele and Marco Asensio are in line to start alongside Mbappe, and 17-year-old midfielder Warren Zaire Emery has made three assists so far in the Champions League, and he too is pushing for a start.

History

Real Sociedad are twice La Liga winners, way back in the early 1980s, but they have yet to win a trophy in Europe. PSG are 11 times Ligue 1 winners, nine times under their Qatari owners, but their only success in Europe was a 1996 Cup Winners Cup trophy. 

Sociedad have had one win and five losses in the last five games, while PSG won four and drew two. 

PSG are unbeaten in 19 games, while Sociedad have failed to win any of their last seven home games.

Betting Tip

Real Sociedad are priced at 2.46 to win this tie, and that makes them marginal favourites with Paris Saint-Germain at 2.50 and the draw at 3.06. I did consider a Sociedad Draw no Bet option at 1.92 but their form just seems way off at the moment, and I can’t see Paris slipping up.

An early Sociedad goal will make it nervy, though!

 

●●●

CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS

Stay updated with everything sports and betting.

Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.