Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night will host Atletico Madrid in a competitive match for the first time — just as Los Rojiblancos’ Champions League hopes hang by a thread.
Atleti have lost consecutive UEFA Champions League games for the first time since the 2022 group stage, which portended an early elimination from the competition.
Consecutive wins over UE Vic and Las Palmas have steadied the ship somewhat for Diego Simeone’s men, but Atletico’s next opponent is just a little bigger in stature.
Despite losing captain and record goalscorer Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid, PSG is atop Ligue 1 with an unbeaten record and 29 goals scored in just 10 games. However, Luis Enrique’s men have comparatively struggled in the new Champions League league phase — they squeaked past Girona thanks to a 90th-minute own goal, lost 2-0 to Arsenal in London, and drew 1-1 with PSV Eindhoven on matchday three.
PSG sit 23rd in the league stage, while Diego Simeone’s side are ranked 28th out of 36 teams. Only the top 24 teams are assured of a place in the next round but after three games, Luis Enrique’s men find themselves in the lower ranks of the play-off places.
Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, are in an even worse position as they are set to miss out on the knockout rounds entirely if results do not improve. Their goal difference is better than only Red Star Belgrade, RB Salzburg, Young Boys and Slovan Bratislava after three matches, and an immediate reaction is needed.
“The top eight spots will be taken by a handful of teams, those that pick up points consistently will take those places. It’s still early,” Diego Simeone told reporters ahead of the important clash against PSG.
“Three important points are at stake, we’re playing a great team with a great coaching staff. I love how PSG plays.”
Without Jose Maria Gimenez (suspension) and Robin Le Normand (head injury), Axel Witsel and Clement Lenglet will start in defence, and they will be tasked with slowing down the blunt PSG attack. Pertinently, Atletico have lost in three of Witsel’s nine starts this season while they have shipped 13 goals across those nine games.
PSG under Luis Enrique have six wins from 15 continental outings for a win ratio of 40% which is alarmingly low compared with other Paris bosses who have coached at least 10 UCL games with the French giants. Granted that this is a young team and certainly one of the most untested among the elite, their domestic form remains dominant with the Ligue 1 leaders unbeaten and six points clear in the French topflight having won eight of 10 games so far.
Atleti will be the 10th Spanish team that PSG have come up against in continental competition and Lille put paid to Simeone’s unbeaten record against French sides last time out. A 3-1 win away at Feyenoord last season is the only away win that Los Colchoneros have managed over their past 10 Champions League travels, a run that also features seven losses.
A knockout spot like in nine of their last 11 campaigns is far from guaranteed, so Simeone needs to deliver at least a top 24 finish which is not the case at present due to their negative goal difference.
In the build-up to this match, PSG boss Luis Enrique told the media:
“Tomorrow I will see Mr. Simeone again, who I already knew as a player, He’s a top coach. I admire it when I see a coach who has been at a big club for so many years. I know how difficult it is to keep convincing his players, and when he has been there for so many years he can only be a top coach.
“It will be a very difficult match because Atletico know how to play these games and they have a lot of individual quality.“If [on Wednesday] one of the teams loses but wins the next four matches, they will qualify,” said Enrique, arguing he does not have to win this week.
Logically speaking, his fixture list gets more demanding: after Atletico, PSG face Bayern Munich, Salzburg, Manchester City and Stuttgart. “It is not a decisive match,” said Enrique, but if nine are required for a play-off place, the meeting with Atleti could appear a must-win.
While PSG and Atleti risk falling out of the top eight, their chances of direct qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League are in doubt. The pressure is on for both teams with pre-match talk generating significant interest among fans and pundits alike.
The Wednesday night encounter at the Parc des Princes between the two top European clubs is expected to be nothing but intriguing as they will both be expected to put on their best performances in order to claim the three points.
Whether a victor emerges, or the game ends in a stalemate remains yet to be seen. What is certain is that both teams are desperate for three points to get their UCL campaign back on track
