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Clash of the Titans: Take a look at Manchester City’s strongest XI against PSG

By Zoheb Alam

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MAY 04: Mauricio Pochettino, Manager of Paris Saint-Germain and Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City give their team instructions during the UEFA Champions League Semi Final Second Leg match between Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain at Etihad Stadium on May 04, 2021 in Manchester, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MAY 04: Mauricio Pochettino, Manager of Paris Saint-Germain and Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City give their team instructions during the UEFA Champions League Semi Final Second Leg match between Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain at Etihad Stadium on May 04, 2021 in Manchester, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images) /
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Manchester City had a successful trip to Stamford Bridge as they were able to topple Chelsea in their backyard. As a result, a win against the Blues has seen the defending champions climb up to the second spot in the Premier League.

Moving on, the Sky Blues are now set to travel to the Parc des Princes for their away fixture against PSG. The last time these two sides met was in the semi-finals of the previous edition of the  Champions League, which saw the English outfit defeat the Parisiens 4-1 on aggregate.

But now, this summer, the Ligue 1 have added superstars like Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos, hence making them a force to reckon with. Although there have been some doubts regarding the availability of the Argentinian superstar for this crunch battle, chances are that the former Barcelona man might just get ready to face the Citizens on Tuesday.

Ahead of the match, Guardiola spoke to the media regarding his team’s approach towards the game. The Spaniard said :

"It’s a different match, the same more or less the teams. A different match, last season was a semi-final, no fans. You take it differently. Today is five months later, the beginning of the season. We’re not thinking we’ll beat them again. We think we beat them but it was tight, it’ll be another tight game. We have to be focussed, strong, play with personality. We’ll see how the game will finish. We’re not thinking because we won last season we’ll win this year"

An ideal Manchester City XI against PSG should look like……

Ederson is undoubtedly a favorite to keep his spot between the sticks. The Brazilian will be guarded by two central defenders in the form of Aymeric Laporte and Ruben Dias. Despite Stones being declared fit against Chelsea, Guardiola choose to slot Laporte and the Frenchman will likely get a nod ahead of the Englishman at the Parc des Princes.

The defensive flanks will see the presence of Kyle Walker as the right-back. His pace will again be a deciding factor for the visitors as he might have to handle the likes of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. Joao Cancelo will be the first choice left-back and therefore Oleksandr Zinchenko is again due to miss out on another start.

In the centre of the park, Rodri will feature in his usual defensive midfield role. The Spaniard will again play a vital role in this City midfield as he will have to shield his backline from this mighty PSG attack. Kevin De Bruyne should return on the right side of the midfield and will be expected to deliver in this crucial fixture. Bernardo Silva should occupy the left side of this midfield and will hope to put up another strong performance in the City shirt.

In the final third, Jack Grealish will be handed his second Champions League start on the left-wing. Riyad Mahrez should get a starting spot on the right-wing and will look to threaten the hosts with his quick feet. Ferran Torres will be slotted as the no.9 and therefore will be required to create attacking chances for his side against the French outfit.

Next. Challenging Week Ahead for the Sky Blues. dark

Will Machester City manage to beat PSG at the Parc des Princes?