Champions League: Big-Spending PSG Look Like They Mean Business

Paris Saint-Germain vs Borussia Dortmund

For a number of years, Borussia Dortmund were Europe’s overachievers – a side with genuine quality who went toe-to-toe with the biggest clubs in Europe and even reached the 2013 Champions League final, where they lost narrowly to fellow Germans Bayern Munich.

In contrast, Paris Saint-Germain are still very much underachievers and have come nowhere near challenging for the European title that has eluded them and that they so crave.

Apart from the 2020 final of this competition, which they reached before losing to, you’ve guessed it, Bayern, they have spent a small fortune with very little return and have chronically underperformed on the European stage.

The times though, they are changing.

Talking Points

Let’s start with Dortmund who have been playing second fiddle to Bayern ever since that night at Wembley a decade ago.

The Bavarians are their bête noire really.

For not only have their domestic rivals won the last 10 German titles, often at Dortmund’s expense, but they have also regularly swooped for their best players, significantly weakening their rivals in the process at the same time as strengthening their own cause.

Even last season, when Bayern had sold the prolific Robert Lewandowski (yes, they bought him from Dortmund too), they could not quite capitalise and missed out on the title in heartbreaking fashion – an event I believe will take them years to recover from.

Since then, Dortmund have also lost the talented teenager Jude Bellingham, amongst others, while Bayern have decided to finally replace Lewandowski with England captain Harry Kane.

Is it there any wonder then that Dortmund, who have endured a sticky start to the new Bundesliga season, are no longer the overachievers?

Holding onto their best players has never been something PSG have had to worry about, and the limited calibre of the French league has allowed them to continue to be domestic number one.

Yet now, perhaps a slightly different approach is being taken.

This summer, for example, they said goodbye to some of their big money stars, such as Neymar and Lionel Messi.

In came the likes of Marco Asensio on a free transfer from Real Madrid, Milan Skriniar also on a free from Inter Milan, and Kang-in Lee from Mallorca.

Some big names for big fees have duly followed with centre back Lucas Hernandez (Bayern Munich), Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona), Manuel Ugarte (Sporting Lisbon) and, only a few weeks ago, Randal Kolo Muani (Eintracht Frankfurt) arriving for a combined 250 million Euros.

However, it does seem while they have continued to splash the cash, they are now bringing in players with a bigger picture in mind, rather than superstars known for their individual talents.

Crucially, they have also kept onto – for now at least – the services of Kylian Mbappe, and it is because of that then I believe they will simply be too strong for Dortmund in their opening Champions League group game.

It’s a new dawn in Paris with a new manager in Luis Enrique and, in their 12th consecutive group stage, PSG should be ready to create Champions League highlights once more.

History

The only four meetings between these two clubs came in this competition.

The first, in the 2010/11 group stages, both ended all square.

An 87th-minute goal from PSG substitute Clément Chantôme cancelled out Nuri Şahin’s penalty opener for Dortmund five minutes into the second half on Matchday Three. The game at the Parc des Princes two weeks later finished goalless.

They then clashed in the last-16 in 2020 when two goals from Erling Haaland won the day for the Germans and displayed his true potential on the big stage.

Neymar’s reply gave PSG a vital away goal and he scored again in the return game, as did Juan Bernat, in a 2-0 second leg success for the Parisiens which sealed a 3-2 aggregate win.

Betting Tip

The SBOTOP Champions League betting odds are in favour of the French who can be tipped 1X2 @ 1.64 and Asian Handicap -1.00 @ 2.08.

Dortmund are priced 1X2 @ 4.10 and Asian Handicap +0.75 @ 2.07.

The draw will pay out @ 4.10 too.

These days, Dortmund have no Lewandowski, no Haaland, no Bellingham and, in my view, limited chance.

Total Goal 2-3 @ 2.04 and 4-6 @ 2.70 has caught my eye but I am going to go for the exact same scoreline that was played out in their last meeting in France, three and a half years ago.

 

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