After a disappointing 1-0 defeat in Germany, PSG welcome Borussia Dortmund to the French capital in the hope of overturning their one-goal deficit in Tuesday night’s Champions League semi-final second leg.
The French side, recently crowned Ligue 1 champions yet again, have been afforded a weekend off ahead of this second leg, but they will have to deal with a Borussia Dortmund side full of confidence following their 5-1 thrashing of Augsburg on Saturday.
- BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE
- IAN MAATSEN TO BE BOOKED
- NICLAS FULLKRUG TO SCORE ANYTIME
Both Teams To Get On The Scoresheet
Goals were expected when these sides met at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK and, while only a solitary goal was actually scored, that was not for lack of trying in Germany.
Both sides generated over 1.5 expected goals and there were 27 shots in total, while recent fixtures involving both these sides have trended towards high-scoring affairs.
PSG have scored 18 and conceded 11 across their last seven games in all competitions, failing to keep a single clean sheet but scoring in six of these seven outings.
Dortmund’s 1-0 win last week is the only time they have kept a clean sheet in their last eight games, with die Schwarzgelben conceding 12 times in this period but finding the net on 16 occasions themselves.
With Les Parisiens needing a win, expect Luis Enrique’s side to come out firing and that could lend itself to an entertaining affair, so backing both teams to score is advised.
Maatsen To Be Carded
Ian Maatsen picked up a booking for Dortmund just 19 minutes into the first leg and the Chelsea loanee is a prime candidate to get into trouble again on Tuesday night.
The 22-year-old left-back has been carded eight times in just 19 starts since moving to Dortmund on loan and is likely to come up against Ousmane Dembele again at the Parc des Princes, who has been fouled an average of 1.5 times per 90 minutes this season.
Maatsen’s booking last week means he has now been cautioned in four of his last five games for Dortmund and it would not be a surprise to see him draw the referee’s attention again.
Fullkrug In Fine Form
Niclas Fullkrug was the scorer of the only goal in the first leg of this tie and he could well make a difference when he makes the trip to Paris this week.
The 31-year-old centre-forward was given the day off against Augsburg on Saturday and should be fresh to face PSG, while his goal last week continued a purple patch in front of goal for him.
He has now scored 15 goals in all competitions this season and has bagged in three of his last four games, so expect him to trouble the fragile PSG backline.
NICLAS FULLKRUG TO SCORE ANYTIME
