Why PSG can win the Champions League this season

PSG has been the surprise of the Champions League this season, after Borussia Dortmund, with both clubs proving they were truly in a group of Death.

When the draws for the group stage were made, it was a surprise to see AC Milan, PSG, Newcastle, and Borussia Dortmund in the same group.

We quickly named it the Group of Death as it had so many good teams that it was hard to separate each from the other.

PSG were the champions of France and had been one of the top sides in Europe for several seasons, thanks to superstar Kylian Mbappe.

AC Milan has won the Champions League seven times and they reached the semi-final of the competition last season.

Borussia Dortmund have been a force in the competition and reached the final in 2013 under Jurgen Klopp.

The Germans also cruelly missed out on becoming domestic champions on the final day of last season, so they are one of the top teams in Europe.

Newcastle qualified for the Champions League ahead of Liverpool in the Premier League at the end of last season.

The Magpies have been one of the impressive clubs in England under Eddie Howe and were always going to do well in Europe’s top competition, or so we thought.

However, group F sprang some surprises and made us wait until the final group game of the season to know which team will join BVB in the next phase of the Champions League.

PSG qualified ahead of Newcastle to join BVB in the knockout stages and the Germans will face PSG again in the semi-final.

The Ligue 1 side did not lose both games against their German opponents in the group stage, winning the home game, so their semi-final fixture is a game everyone who buys Champions League tickets will want to watch.

PSG reached the final of the competition in 2020 and are back in the semi-final. Could this be the season that they will become champions? We think it could happen, here is why.

Kylian Mbappe’s last season

Mbappe is one of many players and coaches who have announced their departure from their present club in the summer.

The Frenchman’s departure is something we have come to expect as he is a bigger player than PSG and has failed to win the Champions League at the Ligue 1 side.

This clearly has affected his chance of winning top individual honours like the Ballon d’Or and he knows this.

Everyone expects Mbappe to move to Real Madrid in the summer. Whether the La Liga club needs him remains another question to answer, but will he win the Champions League this term?

PSG has surprised most people with their progress in the competition this term and their best performance so far came in the second leg of the quarterfinal in Barcelona.

The Ligue 1 champions lost the first leg in Paris, and we thought Barcelona would finish the job in Spain. How wrong could we be?

PSG won that fixture 4-1 and stunned Camp Nou as Kylian Mbappe scored twice to continue leading the Ligue 1 side towards winning the European title this season.

Mbappe wants his last season at the club to end as successfully as possible and that might see him win the trophy for the first time.

He has 8 goals in 10 Champions League games this term and it is a stat that could easily see him end the term as a European champion with PSG.

Luis Enrique’s experience

Luis Enrique is the latest PSG manager tasked with helping them win the competition and the Spaniard is doing well on their bench so far.

The likes of Carlo Ancelotti, Unai Emery, Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Tuchel, among others have tried to win the Champions League with PSG and failed.

Tuchel came closest to helping them win the trophy when he reached the final of the competition in the COVID-19-ravaged 2020.

PSG faced Bayern Munich in the final and it was one of the best finals we have watched in a long time.

The Germans won that match, but PSG could have secured the trophy as they were as good as their opponents.

They have not come this close since that final and Enrique’s experience could help them get over the line.

He won the competition as the manager of Barcelona a decade ago with a front-three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, which has been named one of the best-attacking trios we have ever seen.

At PSG, he does not have such players, but the front three of Bradley Barcola, Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele have been amazing.

They cannot be compared to that famous Barcelona front three, but they have proven to be good enough to take PSG to within three matches of winning the Champions League.

If Enrique can get his team to repeat their heroics in Camp Nou against Borussia Dortmund in the semi-final, they will be within a victory of becoming the champions of Europe.

Easy semi-final draw

PSG had to overcome Barcelona to reach the semi-final, and their reward could have been Atletico Madrid.

However, Borussia Dortmund eliminated the La Liga side in the last round to reach this stage, which was a huge success.

But BVB does not have as much pedigree in Europe as Atletico does, and Diego Simeone’s side would have been tougher opponents for PSG.

The Parisians have avoided one of the strongest teams they could have faced and on paper, they have an easier draw by facing BVB.

This does not mean they should underestimate their opponents, but PSG’s quest to win the Champions League this term is much easier by facing BVB and they will regret a missed chance if the Germans eliminate them from the semi-final.

What could go wrong?

We have listed the reasons this could be PSG’s season to become champions of Europe and how it is easy for them to get to the final with BVB as their semi-final opponent, but a lot of things could still go wrong.

Football is not played on paper, so even though PSG is favourites to win their semi-final, underestimating BVB will be a huge mistake.

The Germans topped their group when no one expected that to happen and eliminated Atletico Madrid to reach the semi-final.

They have earned the right to reach this stage and could defeat PSG if the Parisians do not play at their best in both games.

PSG could also fail in the final again if they beat BVB, with Real Madrid or Bayern Munich waiting for them.

Both teams have more pedigree in the competition than the Parisians and most fans believe the winner of the competition will come from that semi-final pairing.

PSG could be hurt by Bayern again, as was the case in 2020, or they might be defeated by Real Madrid, a team that never seems to lose in a Champions League final.

Conclusion

PSG remains one of the top teams left in the Champions League, and they have a great chance of winning the competition this term, but it will not be as straightforward as their fans think.