After a failed first draw, Paris Saint-Germain and Lille finally know their opponents for the knockout stages of the Champions League, Monday, December 13. The Parisians will find Real Madrid – and not Manchester United, opponents designated by the first draw – and Losc will come into contact with the defending champion Chelsea, as in the first draw.
Discover Sylvain Armand’s reaction following the draw for the @championsleague ⤵ pic.twitter.com/MJCGTLT6ez
– LOSC (@losclive) December 13, 2021
“Unlike PSG, Lille finished first in their group. Paradoxically, they have perhaps the most complicated draw of the two teams”, remarks Eric Roy.
“Le Losc pulled the most difficult team out of the second hat. You have to take this confrontation as a great opportunity. Regardless of the draw, the Lille would not have been favorites and were the outsiders” he nuances. “It is the club with the least experience in the European Cup.”
For Eric Roy, Chelsea have nevertheless shown certain limits in the last few meetings, conceding a lot of goals: three against West Ham, two against Leeds and three again against Zenith Saint Petersburg on the last day of the group stage. of the Champions League.
“The people of Lille must play their luck to the full”, insists our consultant. “It’s a great opportunity for them to play a very big Champions League game against the defending winner of the competition.”
As for PSG, former Watford sporting director sees it “slightly favorite”. “Slightly, because I don’t see a huge chasm between these two teams in terms of collective either”, he justifies. “The Parisians are very often favorites on paper. But what they show on the field is more worrying. We expect them to be unplayable and this is ultimately not the case.”
PSG could therefore find themselves in difficulty against a team like Real Madrid, which is used to being opposed to large formations. If the Parisian workforce is made up of“extraordinary individualities”, the collective still poses big problems today, according to the former Niçois.
The program of the 8th finals of the @ChampionsLeague @realmadrid
Princes Park
21h #PSGRMSantiago Bernabeu
21h#RMPSG#WeAreParis pic.twitter.com/EEdZSGlPhz
– Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) December 13, 2021
“PSG is not at the level of the teams which are favorites in the competition, namely Bayern, City or even Liverpool. These three clubs are big machines on the collective level. This is not the case for Paris . The team is still looking for each other collectively. “ For their part, the Madrilenians do not show immense collective strength in the eyes of Eric Roy, especially on the defensive level.
But for the ex-coach, big unknowns remain and it is very complicated to decide so early on a possible winner, whatever the meeting. “There is a transfer window, and we don’t know what’s going to happen. Also, we can’t know how each team is progressing.” he points out.
He also predicts a psychological war on the PSG side: will Kylian Mbappé have given his consent to Real? Will he still be a Parisian? “The Spaniards will play a lot on the extra-sportsman in the preparation of the match. Not necessarily the club, but also the media. We will have to manage this factor and take it into account in this double confrontation.”
Not to mention the pressure on the club. “PSG may have achieved one of the biggest mercatos in history. But if they lose to Real, it’s going to be a monumental flop”, predicted Eric Roy. “It makes for a really unusual game and one which will be very interesting to follow on the pitch, but also outside, in its preparation.”
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