Champions League: Paris Date for Wounded Magpies

Paris Saint-Germain vs Newcastle United

Newcastle United will hope to avoid three Champions League defeats on the bounce on Tuesday when they face Paris Saint-Germain in a European clash, which could see the Geordies bow out at the group stage.

PSG have struggled to break through the glass ceiling in of Europe’s flagship competition, coming the closest when they reached the 2020 final, only to be beaten by Bayern Munich. And this season the Champions League 2023 betting odds make the Ligue 1 champions fifth favourites, so they will have to cause an upset to break through this time.

The ambitious Magpies made a good start to their first ever Champions League campaign, but back-to-back defeats mean another loss at the Parc des Princes could see them out at their first attempt. Group F is the most competitive in the competition with only three points separating Borussia Dortmund in first, and Newcastle United in fourth; but if PSG do the business and Dortmund avoid defeat in Milan it will be ‘bye-bye’ to the Geordies.

Both teams have enjoyed profitable weekends, with Luis Enrique’s PSG hammering AS Monaco 5-2 while Eddie Howe’s Newcastle beat a resurgent Chelsea 4-1; so there will be no lack of confidence when they face off on Tuesday, but there will be some nerves, particularly in North East England.

Talking Points

Paris out for revenge

This is a tough group but PSG’s Champions League 2023 results have not been as consistent as Enrique would have hoped, with two wins and two defeats leaving them with plenty of work still to do. And the worst result the French giants suffered was a 4-1 drubbing at the hands of Newcastle in October. But this time around the Premier League side won’t have their passionate home crowd behind them and the French fans are sure to give them a hostile reception on Tuesday.

Ousmane Dembele will aim to score goals for Paris Saint-Germain when they host Newcastle United in the Champions League — Paris Saint-Germain winger Ousmane Dembele celebrates scoring their third goal against AS Monaco in Ligue 1

PSG had the perfect warm-up for this European clash, beating third placed Monaco is some style, with goals from the French trio of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Randal Kolo Muani on target, alongside the Portuguese pair of Vitinha and Goncalo Ramos. This is a team with a whole lot of attacking menace and they could inflict a world of pain on the Magpies on Tuesday. Enrique was delighted with his team’s warm-up, saying: “It’s always difficult to play after the international break. But I have to say the result is perfect against one of the best teams in the league. The effort put in by the players was excellent.”

Steady Eddie can rouse Newcastle

Newcastle Manager Eddie Howe is under huge pressure to perform with the eye-watering investment by the club’s Saudi owners adding to the mix; but he always looks coolness personified and has a pleasant disposition, never a manager who rants and raves. But he can lift his players… as he proved again at the weekend. The visit of Chelsea looked like a tougher game on paper than it turned out on the grass for the Geordies who wiped away any fears of a prolonged slump in form as the returning Alexander Isak opened the floodgates on 13 minutes.

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With 12 injuries to cope with, Newcastle showed they have depth in their squad and another returned star, Joelinton, insisted that Howe’s pre-match talk made all the difference. The re-invented midfielder scored the crucial third goal and in the after-match celebrations he said: “The gaffer made a great point before, we had to think about what we have, not what we don’t have. We have to go on the pitch and fight and show how strong the team is. Everyone who comes in knows what to do.”

History

With 11 league titles PSG have been the dominant force in France for a decade but their only success in Europe was a UEFA Cup Winners Cup triumph in 1996. The last time the Magpies opened their trophy cabinet was almost 70 years ago when they won the FA Cup in 1955, though they have had four second tier triumphs since then.

Of course, these two teams have only met once, in October when Newcastle announced their arrival on the European stage with a thumping win over the French champions.

In terms of recent form the hosts are in better shape, with five wins and one defeat from the last six outings, while Newcastle have won three, drawn one and lost two. And PSG have won their last five games at the Parc des Princes