Paris Saint-Germain vs Newcastle United

Champions League Group F will go down to the wire as Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle United meet in a ‘make or break’ showdown at the Parc des Princes.

Paris Saint-Germain returned to Ligue 1 action after the international break with a thumping 5-2 home win against Monaco to protect their position at the table’s summit and consolidate their spirits ahead of this revenge-poised clash. An embarrassing 4-1 defeat in the reverse fixture at St James’ Park remains deeply embedded in Luis Enrique’s memory, even though his men have since won seven of their eight competitive outings. The only blemish on that superb run was a 2-1 loss at AC Milan in the last Champions League round, which left ‘Les Parisiens’ at risk of failing to make it out of the group stages. However, having won both home games in Group F ‘to nil’ and only lost one of their last ten Champions League outings in Paris (W8, D1), PSG will take the field in high spirits.

Visiting Newcastle United will be looking to take advantage of PSG’s woeful four-game home form against English opposition in the Champions League (W1, L3) to reignite their qualification hopes following back-to-back defeats to Borussia Dortmund without scoring. Despite commencing this round bottom of the group, the ‘Magpies’ trail top-placed Dortmund by three points, meaning their chances of reaching the knockouts are anything but over. Eddie Howe’s men ought to take this trip in a buoyant mood following an overwhelming 4-1 home win against Chelsea at the weekend, seeking their first away goal in Group F (D1, L1). Newcastle should still approach this contest with cautious optimism after only winning once on their last seven European visits to France (D1, L4).