Paris Saint-Germain welcome Manchester City to the Parc des Princes for the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on Wednesday. It's one of the more unpredictable ties of the round with both sides more than capable of picking up a victory. Home advantage should ensure PSG head in as first leg favorites. Their recent excellent form helps, too, having only lost twice since November in a run that has already seen them wrap up the Ligue 1 title.
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Manchester City 2016: Time, TV schedule and team news for Champions League
Paris Saint-Germain host Manchester City at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.
They same can’t be said of City, whose domestic season has so far been a particularly disappointing one. They sit fourth place in the league and face stiff competition from cross-town rivals United over the final qualification spot for next season’s Champions League. A team containing Sergio Agüero can never be counted out, but they’ve certainly not been at their free-flowing best lately.
Key player: Sergio Agüero (Manchester City)
City will be thanking their lucky stars that Sergio Agüero has managed to stay fit for much of this season. The injury-prone Argentine has been crucial in the small successes they have enjoyed so far, having chipped in 17 goals in 24 Premier League games and two in five in the Champions League. He remains one of the top strikers in world football at the moment and he’s the man PSG will be most eager to keep quiet.
Key matchup: City’s full-backs vs. PSG’s wingers
There's no doubt that PSG's greatest attacking threat comes from the wide areas, with Lucas Moura and Ángel Di María combining to form one of the scariest wing pairings around. Unfortunately for City, full-back is one of their weakest areas: right-back Pablo Zabaleta is no longer the fine defender he once was, and on the left, neither Gaël Clichy or Aleksandar Kolarov offer sufficient defensive protection. Things could get messy.
Paris Saint-Germain injuries and suspensions
Out: Serge Aurier (internal suspension). In doubt: Javier Pastore (calf); Marco Verratti (groin).
Manchester City injuries and suspensions
Out: Raheem Sterling (groin); Joe Hart, Vincent Kompany (calf); Fabian Delph (Achilles). In doubt: Yaya Touré (knee).
PSG’s only certain absentee is full-back Aurier, who is still suspended by the club after being recorded in a homophobic tirade against coach Laurent Blanc. He could be joined on the sidelines by midfielders Pastore and Verratti, who both face late fitness tests.
City, meanwhile, will be missing regular faces across the field. The most costly absentees are goalkeeper Hart and defender Kompany, though they’ll be joined by midfielder Delph and attacker Sterling. Touré will have to recover from a knee injury if he’s to be involved.
Match date/time: Wednesday, 2:45 p.m. ET, 8:45 p.m. local
Venue: Parc des Princes, Paris, France
TV: FOX Sports 1 (US - English); FOX Deportes (US - Spanish); TSN, RDS (Canada); BT Sport Europe (U.K.)
Online: FOX Sports GO, FOX Soccer 2GO (US); TSN live streaming (Canada); BT Sport live streaming (U.K.)
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