Paris Saint-Germain will face Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday, May 7th at 3 pm at the Parc des Princes.
The French side is aiming for a win after losing the first leg in Germany 1-0 to Niclas Fullkrug in the first half.
Their coach, Luis Enrique, stated that scoring two goals wasn’t necessary to stay ahead, but winning was paramount.
“Our objective isn’t to win by a two-goal margin, but simply to win. While achieving a two-goal lead is ideal, our focus is on playing well and scoring.”
He emphasized, “If we score in the 89th minute, that’s satisfactory. Our goal is not just to score, but to win the match. Goals can be scored in a minute, but they can also be conceded.”
PSG failed to capitalize on their first-leg match at Signal Iduna Park in Germany.
Tonight, the French team returns without Lucas Hernandez, sidelined due to a knee injury similar to the one he sustained at the 2022 World Cup.
However, Enrique will rely on Milan Skriniar and Lucas Beraldo for solutions, with the latter possibly benefitting from his rapport with Marquinhos.
Nuno Mendes will feature on the left, while Achraf Hakimi will play on the right. Apart from Hernandez, there are no new additions in Enrique’s squad, with long-time players Presnel Kimpembe, Sergio Rico, and Layvin Kurzawa remaining.
At the plate, Enrique could use Randal Kolo Muani at the plate, which would give Kylian Mbappé a free pass to the left, replacing Bradley Barcola.
On the Borussia Dortmund side, coach Edin Terzić rested several players over the weekend, including Julian Ryerson, Sebastien Haller, Julien Duranville and Ramy Bensebiani.
Borussia Dortmund have no new signings since winning their opening game despite Karim Adeyemi’s injury against Augsburg at the weekend.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Terzić said that although they did not perform well in the German Championship, they did an outstanding job in the UEFA Champions League.
“I think we are the team in the Bundesliga that has scored the fewest points of the top five teams, but in the Champions League we have done a great job. We’re ready to win games, which we’ve shown this season”.
Jadon Sancho could be moved to the right flank again, as was the case in the previous game, and Julian Brandt could play as a full-back.
Emre Can and Marcel Sabitzer are expected in midfield while Terzić is expected to return to his usual attack.
Another UEFA Champions League semi-final is scheduled for Wednesday, with Real Madrid taking on Bayern Munich, who were beaten 2-2 in the first leg.
Players who could start on the pitch between PSG and Dortmund:
PSG (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Beraldo, Mendes; Zaire-Emery, Vitinha, Ruiz; Dembélé, Kolo Muani and Mbappé were also included in the squad.
Dortmund (4-2-3-1): Kobel; Ryerson, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Maatsen; Sabitzer, Can; Sancho, Brandt, Adeyemi and Fullkrug are also in the mix.
