5 reasons why Paris Saint-Germain can make a comeback against Manchester City tonight | UEFA Champions League 2020-21
Manchester City produced an inspiring second-half performance to register a 2-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes last week.
Paris Saint-Germain seemed to be in control of the game in the first half but were only able to showcase a tame version of themselves in the second half. Manchester City took full control of the game with the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden producing commendable performances.
However, Despite putting up a great show in the first leg, Pep Guardiola knows that a 2-1 lead is slender, and the Parisians have enough firepower in their arsenal to overturn this deficit..
Both Pochettino and Guardiola have prior experience when it comes to fielding their teams in the UEFA Champions League semi-final and it'll be interesting to see how two of the world's best coaches match up against each other on the biggest stage.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five reasons why Paris Saint-Germain will make a comeback against Manchester City.
#5 Idrissa Gueye's absence could be a blessing in disguise for Paris Saint-Germain
Idrissa Gana Gueye's frustration boiled over in the final quarter of the first-leg against Manchester City and he was sent off for a poor studs-up challenge from behind on Ilkay Gundogan. But that might not necessarily disadvantage Paris Saint-Germain.
Idrissa Gueye does not offer a lot going forward and on Tuesday, Paris Saint-Germain will need to be knocking relentlessly on Manchester City's doors to have a chance of making it to the final. In Gueye's absence, Marco Verratti could drop into a deeper role.
With Verratti deep in midfield, Pochettino will have the opportunity to place a more attacking option in Juilan Draxler in front of him. Draxler has performed well in the Champions League and shares good chemistry with the likes of Mbappe and Neymar.
An attack consisting of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe (given he's cleared to play), Mauro Icardi, Angel Di Maria and Julian Draxler can spell danger for any defence in Europe.
#4 A rested Angel Di Maria and Marco Verratti will be a different proposition for Manchester City
When Paris Saint-Germain faced Manchester City in the first-leg, they did not have the luxury of resting some of their main men in the buildup to the game. Pochettino had to start the likes of Neymar, Mbappe and Verratti with the aim of getting all three points in the tightly contested Ligue 1 battle. Di Maria came off the bench in the 65th minute.
Paris Saint-Germain still dominated the proceedings in the first-half against Manchester City, with Angel Di Maria dropping deep to help out in defence. He looked burnt out in the second half and that led to Manchester City having a lot more space to work with.
This time around, Di Maria and Verratti are well-rested. While Di Maria was an unused substitute in the weekend's game against Lens, Verratti came off the bench for the last half an hour.
Di Maria and Marco Verratti will be looking to replicate their first-half performance from the first leg and this time, they will have the energy to sustain it for a longer period of time.
Kylian Mbappe has been struggling with a calf injury and is a doubt for the second-leg. He was rested against Lens as well. If he has fully recovered, then he'll be a handful to deal with for the Manchester City defenders.