Today sees the return of the Champions League, with the round of 16 kicking off with a highly-anticipated clash between Man United and PSG. The French giant appeared to be handed a favorable opponent once this draw was made back in December but the narrative surrounding this game has changed in favor of the Red Devils for a few reasons, mainly injuries.
The Ligue 1 outfit will be without a number of key men for this tricky trip to Old Trafford. First, Neymar fell to an injury and has been ruled out of this tie, with Edinson Cavani later joining the list after taking a knock to the hip.
The leaves Mbappe as the only fit player from their famed and feared attacking trio, but how big of an impact will that have on their goalscoring chances. In short: a huge one.
Cavani has only scored twice so far in Europe, a number that is matched by Juan Bernat and Angel di Maria -- the latter is certain to start amid this injury crisis. However, it is the numbers Neymar has produced that might be hard to replace.
No team has scored more goals this season in the Champions League than Tuchel's side with 17 strikes and from that figure, their Brazilian superstar has contributed the most with five goals. This is not surprising since the world's most expensive footballer leads the list of players with the most attempts on target with 16.
#UCL Last 16: Will we see more goals from:
— LiveSoccerTV.com (@LiveSoccerTV) February 12, 2019
- PSG? https://t.co/Lrtqv4pqzr
- Man CIty? https://t.co/LE96MIOq2X
- Bayern? https://t.co/Pvbgjtcawk
- Porto? https://t.co/88JCS3PFip
- Barcelona? https://t.co/BG4qCL1GHM pic.twitter.com/OQUKTyQytR
And while Cavani has not bee the most productive of PSG's front three -- second place goes to Mbappe with three goals -- his absence will be costly. The Uruguayan is the club's only traditional senior number nine, which means fewer questions might be asked of the Red Devils back four.
No player has had more attempts on target this season than Neymar
The away side's concerns aren't limited to their attackers, as Thomas Meunier is also set to miss out. The Belgian might be a full-back, but he offers a lot when going forward and bombarding down the flanks.
Solskjaer will likely be pleased by PSG's dilemmas. Not only is the Premier League outfit back in form, but the circumstances have shifted in their favor. Tuchel, on the other hand, must work around this crisis in attack or the club will be in risk of another embarrassing Champions League exit.
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