PSG vs Borussia Dortmund: Champions League: Match Preview and Prediction

Neymar Jr. will be the key as PSG take on Borussia Dortmund in the second leg of their round of 16 clash in the Champions league.

The Parisians, who are looking to avoid yet another exit in the first knockout round against Borussia Dortmund will be played out before an empty stadium on Wednesday.

Nothing seems to go the way of PSG when it comes to the Champions League as they are at the edge of getting knocked out by the German club BVB. Its evident the teenage striker holds a key role in taking Borussia Dortmund further into the tournament. 

In the previous encounter, he continued his Stunning goal exploitation by netting in two goals to give a one goal lead in the first leg of the knockout leaving PSG with further headache going into the second leg. 

With PSG discovering that they would be playing the important second leg in front of an empty stadium it could be well an another disadvantage to The Parisians, but, given the fact that the president of the club has requested the fans to gather outside the stadium might boost up the Parisians on their home soil.

Kylian Mbappe has undergone a test for coronavirus, but the result has come back negative for the Paris Saint-German superstar. But, it still remains a doubt if he will play the all-important game on Wednesday.

Neymar Jr.  and Co will hold a huge responsibility to take the French team further into the tournament in the absence of the French starlet.

Last time out

With Erling Haaland opening the goal account in the 69th minute of the game, Neymar was quick to react with a reply in the 75th minute of the game levelling the score at 1-1. 

But, the Norwegian teenager was on song as he needed only two more minutes to score his second goal of the night thus taking a much needed one goal advantage and the game for Brossia Dortmund.

Match Stats

• Only Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski has scored more goals than Erling Haaland this season's CL.
• PSG have lost five of their last six Champions League knockout games. The French side have failed to get        beyond the last 16 since 2015/16, when they were eliminated by Manchester City in the quarter-finals.
• Dortmund have played nine games in 2020, compared to 17 for PSG. The Bundesliga side have notched 31      goals since the turn of the year, averaging over three per outing.
• Sancho has clocked up 14 goals and 15 assists in 23 Bundesliga appearances this term, meaning he's been      involved in a league goal every 71 minutes

Line-ups

PSG- Navas, Kehrer, Silva (c), Kimpembe, Kurzawa, Di Maria, Marquinhos, Gueye, Neymar, Cavani,  Icardi.

Out - Herrera, Meunier, Verratti .

Doubtful - Choupo-Moting , Dagba , Mbappe.

Dortmund – Bürki, Piszczek (c), Hummels, Zagadou, Hakimi, Can, Witsel, Guerreiro, Sancho, Brandt,  Haaland.

Out – Reus

Doubtful – Delaney

Key Battles

Thiago Silva vs Erling Haaland

Thiago Silva has been out with an injury in recent weeks, but returned to training to give PSG a big boost in defence.

The Norwegian won Borussia Dortmund the first leg with his two goals in the second half. And, he will be determined to add to his tally of ten Champions League goals in his bid to finish as the tournament’s top scorer.

Haaland’s determination, physicality, fight and pace make him a handful for any defender to deal with, as the French giants found out in the first leg. 

Thiago Silva will have his task cut out as he looks to prevent Haaland from scoring in Paris. Silva is no slouch himself though, and we could be in for quite a battle between the two on Wednesday night.

Neymar Jr. vs Lukasz Piszczek

Veteran Borussia Dortmund defender Lukasz Piszczek had the measure of Neymar for the majority of the first leg.

But, the only time Piszczek lost sight of Neymar, he found the back of the net. The PSG superstar is one of the best players in the world and is capable of producing game changing moments for his team on his own. He has all the tricks in his bag to embarrass even the best of defenders.

Preventing Neymar from making much of an impact will be one of the Dortmund defenders’ big aim on Wednesday. And if Piszczek can perform like he has in recent weeks, there is no reason why he cannot keep Neymar at bay once again.

Recent form 

PSG (All competitions) -  WDLWWW

Dortmund (All competitions) – WDLWWW

Prediction

PSG have failed to beat Dortmund in their three previous competitive meetings. BVB have been in stunning form over the past month and, having done the hard work on home soil last month, we are backing them to see the job through in this behind the doors encounter.

Score Prediction – PSG 1-1 Borussia Dortmund (2-3 on aggregate)