Atalanta vs PSG: 5 players to watch out for | UEFA Champions League 2019-20
PSG (Paris Saint-Germain) will face high-flying Atalanta in their one-legged UEFA Champions League quarterfinal at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon on Wednesday night.
The Serie A club scored a whopping 98 goals in their domestic league this season. They pose the biggest challenge for PSG in over five months and can spoil the French champions' hopes of making their first Champions League semifinal since 1994-95.
The Ligue 1 ended in March as the COVID-19 pandemic forced a premature closure of the French domestic league season.
PSG, who were subsequently awarded the title, have only played four competitive games since. Atalanta, on the other hand, resumed their Serie A campaign in June and secured a creditable third-placed finish courtesy their goal-scoring exploits.
Both the teams rely on their goalscorers to do their bidding on the pitch, and it is expected that their Champions League quarterfinal meeting may not be any different in this respect.
With the stage set for two highly entertaining sides to clash for the first time in their history, we take a look at five key players from both teams to keep an eye on.
Five key players to watch out for in PSG's Champions League quarterfinal clash with Atalanta:
#5: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
A 21-year-old player picking up an injury before a crucial game might not be worrying news for a team unless that team is PSG, and the injured player is Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe, who won the Ligue 1 Golden Boot this season, suffered an ankle injury following a horrific tackle from St Etienne captain Loic Perrin in PSG's French Cup final win. He has since made an impressive recovery, and as per latest reports, could make an appearance from the bench against Atalanta.
He was in an incredible form before his injury. Even if he makes a cameo against Atalanta, he is likely to have a significant impact in the game and add to his tally of 30 goals in 34 appearances across all competitions this season.
#4: Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
In the absence of Josip Ilicic, Atalanta's top scorer in their debut Champions League campaign, it is expected that Duvan Zapata will likely fill in his shoes. Though Zapata has only scored one goal in the competition thus far, the Columbian striker was in fine form in Serie A and might prove to be a handful for PSG's defenders.
Zapata has the highest goal involvement of all Atalanta players, scoring 18 goals in the Serie A and setting up six more. He is known for his tenacity in the final third and provides a much needed physical presence for La Dea.
Also See: Atalanta vs PSG: 5 key battles to watch out for | UEFA Champions League 2019-20.