Paris Saint-Germain vs Club Brugge 07/11/19

7 November 2019

Paris Saint-Germain welcome Club Brugge to the Parc des Princes looking to maintain a 100% start to their UEFA Champions League (CL) campaign and clinch a place in the knockout stage.

By far the most convincing side in Group A, the Parisians have won all three of their opening matches without conceding a goal. Also, the hosts have won five of six halves of the CL football played so far, with six of nine goals they’ve scored coming in the second half. Virtually untenable at home, the reigning Ligue 1 holders have won 33 of their last 52 European home fixtures, suffering just three defeats along the way (D16). Furthermore, PSG have won all three of their previous clashes against the Belgian sides, scoring 4+ match goals in each while keeping clean sheets. A 5-0 dismantling of Club Brugge in the reversed fixture made it nine straight matches against the Belgian oppositions without a loss (D5, L4).

On the other hand, the visitors have kicked off their Group A campaign with back-to-back draws with Galatasaray and Real Madrid before going down to PSG. Interestingly, both of Club Brugge’s CL goals this term have come against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. Unfortunately for the Blauw-Zwart, they tend to slow down in the second half, with six of seven goals they’ve conceded so far coming after the break. Also, their dismal recent away European record can be a major influence here, as the Belgian champions picked up only two wins in their last 18 continental trips (D5, L11). Moreover, Brugge have lost seven of their nine visits to France (W2, D1), although one of those triumphs was last season’s success against AS Monaco in the CL group stage.