3 of the main talking points ahead of PSG-Newcastle

PSG are set to hosts Newcastle United in their last League Phase game of the Champions League. Both sides are hoping to claim a victory to secure a spot in the top 8 of the table and clinch an automatic knockout stage spot.

Over the weekend, Paris managed a arrow 1-0 win against relegation-threatened AJ Auxerre and claimed back the top spot of Ligue 1 while RC Lens fell 3-1 at the hands of Marseille.

3 of the main talking points ahead of PSG-Newcastle

1) Two sides who have met before: how have they changed since their last meetings in 2023

Two years ago, before the change in format that saw the group stages of the Champions League drastically alter, these two sides met twice when they were drawn in the same group. Luis Enrique, then in his first season as Paris Saint Germain head coach, saw his side be dismantled emphatically by Eddie Howe’s Newcastle in the first game – with the home side, buoyed by a vociferous Geordie crowd, winning 4-1.

The second leg also was rife with controversy, with Alexander Isak scoring an early goal for the visitors in Paris, before Kylian Mbappé equalised from the penalty spot with the last kick of the game, following an incredibly dubious spot kick decision that led to fury from Newcastle supporters.

The teams have, of course, changed a lot since then, with both Isak and Mbappé moving on from their respective sides, and with PSG ascending to become European Champions, but Newcastle will perhaps be encouraged by those positive results in their prior encounters with the Parisians.

2) Two sides vying for the same qualification spot

Tomorrow’s game is actually fraught with needle, as both sides are looking to secure automatic qualification to the Champions League play off round without having to play two extra games. PSG and Newcastle currently sit 6th and 7th respectively in the Champions League table (from which only the first 8 qualify automatically) and are level on points with teams as low as thirteenth.

This means that a while a winner tomorrow is all but guaranteed to qualify automatically into the last 16, the loser will have to face an extra round of 32 play off game (as PSG did last season), which would clog up an already packed schedule. PSG will hope that their home advantage will see them over the line, and will look to secure qualification with the minimum amount of fuss, against an opponent whose domestic form has been middling recently.

3) Stylistically opposed teams: how will they look to match each other up?

Another interesting aspect of tomorrow’s clash, and one of the things about the Champions League that places it among the best competitions in the world, is the vast stylistic clash between the two sides, and the subsequent tactical chess match we should be privy to in between Luis Enrique and Eddie Howe.

Newcastle’s strength as a team lies in their physical dominance, endurance and ability to disrupt their opponent’s game, specifically in midfield (traits that have allowed them to dominate more technical sides than them under Howe’s tenure). Enrique’s new look PSG, however, will look to move the ball quickly and to trouble Newcastle’s defenders with the movement of their forwards and midfielders, whose fluid positioning can cause troubles to rigid blocks like that of Newcastle.

Overall it will be interesting to see how Newcastle’s defence deals with the unusual threat of a striker like Ousmane Dembélé (assuming the Ballon d’Or holder starts), as he is known for his floating position and his ability to drop extremely deep, away from traditional attacking positions, while midfielders like Fabian Ruiz and Joao Neves make runs beyond him. It will also be interesting to see whether Howe selects Joelinton, a more destructive midfielder, or opts to be less pragmatic and chooses a more creative midfield three.

Overall, PSG seem to have the edge: they’re at home, in better form and with a more fluid tactical setup than their opponents, but in the Champions League, nothing is ever certain.