Champions League: PSG Can Smell Fear in Leipzig

RB Leipzig vs PSG

Paris Saint Germain heads to the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig on Wednesday for a crucial Champions League clash, which neither team can really afford to lose.

Both PSG and Red Bull Leipzig have already dropped points in defeats to Manchester United which means, at the moment, this is a battle for second place in Group H.

Here at SBOTOP we don’t fancy Red Bull’s chances of getting out of this group now, and the Bundesliga side has drifted to odds of 67.00 to win the competition they came close to last season. But in the case of PSG, having reached last season’s final at Leipzig’s expense, the latest Champions League 2020 betting odds have Thomas Tuchel’s team as a realistic prospect for European glory, at odds of 12.00.

Talking Points

A very bad week for Leipzig

Julian Nagelsmann’s Red Bull made an excellent start to the current campaign but they are Bundesliga leaders no more after a 1-0 defeat to Borussia Monchengladbach at the weekend. And that setback at the hands of Die Fohlen followed on from a damaging Champions League defeat to Manchester United.

This is the first time Red Bull have looked toothless since the departure of last season’s top scorer Timo Werner; and despite having 15 shots against Monchengladbach they only managed three on target; and they didn’t have a clear cut chance during the whole game. And while the Red Devils have been blowing hot and cold in recent times, nobody really expected Leipzig to take a 5-0 hammering at Old Trafford last week. But Nagelsmann watched his defence capitulate in a disastrous final 15 minutes.

Red Bull can put it all right with a win over PSG, but it’s worrying for their fans that their Bundesliga top scorer Yussuf Poulsen has only two goals, and their only scorer in the Champions League is Spanish left wing-back Angelino with two.

They will need strong leadership from skipper Marcel Sabitzer and a big performance from French centre back Dayot Upamecano if Red Bull are to prosper against Paris.

Mbappe on a hot streak

Champions League: Kylian Mbappe is currently Paris Saint-Germain's top scorer with seven goals scored — Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe during their match against Istanbul Basaksehir

After falling to back-to-back defeats at the start of the Ligue 1 season, the Parisians are back on top of the league again having registered seven consecutive victories, scoring 23 goals and conceding just once, and that to Angers in a 6-1 win. And, as ever, the champions owe a lot to the form of Kylian Mbappe. He is the Ligue 1 leading scorer after six games, with seven goals and four assists already in the bag. He bagged his seventh in PSG’s 0-3 win in Nantes at the weekend. Try to keep the French hitman out of the Champions League 2020 news… or any football news for that matter!

And Wednesday’s meeting with his countryman Upamecano could produce fireworks.

Former Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera was also on target against Nantes and he’s an influential figure in midfield, able to start moves with an incisive ball and quick to spot any danger, while upfront Everton loanee Moise Kean is likely to start with Neymar sidelined.

PSG are at 2.95 to win this group and a victory in Leipzig will almost certainly see those odds drop nearer to 2.00.

History

These two teams have met just twice before, the first a 4-2 victory for Red Bull in a friendly fixture in 2014. But the big game came just three months ago in the semi-final of the disrupted 2020 Champions League. PSG ran out comfortable 3-0 winners, thanks to two goals from Angel di Maria and a third from Neymar.

Leipzig have been tough to beat on home soil in the competition, winning four, drawing one and losing one of their last six Champions League games at the Red Bull Arena. And despite losing their last two, in all competitions, Nagelsmann’s team has won four home matches in a row.

The last victory was a nervy 2-1 victory against ten-man Hertha Berlin; and with a winning streak of five matches away from home, PSG could cause Red Bull more problems.

Betting Tip

	Paris Saint-Germain vs RB Leipzig	1X2 Paris Saint Germain @ 2.23
	November 05, 04:00 (GMT+8)

Leipzig are at 2.91 to win this game with the draw at 3.40, but the Germans have been unconvincing over the past two weeks while PSG are gathering some serious momentum.

1-1 is the most likely score line at odds of 7.14, but with Mbappe on a hot streak of form I suspect 1-2 at odds of 7.96 is more likely.