Football fans all over the world rejoice, because it’s time for the Champions League to start once again!
Arguably it’s the most important and prestigious club tournament on the planet, with the best & richest clubs in Europe fighting for the most precious trophy any european club could possibly win. Now our attention turns to the French capital Paris, where Paris Saint-Germain is hosting Arsenal in one of the big derbies of the first round of the competition.
PSG and Arsenal are arguably the big favourites in Group A of the competition, where we could also find Basel and Ludogorets. But of course, surprises always happen in the Champions League, so they can’t allow themselves to be too relaxed about going through in the competition.
PSG are dominating French football in the last few years, but they had a rocky start in Ligue 1 since Unai Emery replaced the sacked Laurent Blanc. The Spanish manager led PSG to win in his first two games in the league against Bastia and Metz, but afterwards the Parisians won just one point from their next two games, losing against Monaco and sharing the points with Saint-Etienne at home.
Meanwhile Arsenal are starting to improve in the English Premier League, after a dissapointing start of the new campaign. The Gunners won just one point in their first two games against Liverpool and Leicester, but they won against Watford and Southampton in the last two rounds, getting closer to the Top 4.
Maxwell, Pastore and Aurier will miss the game for PSG, while Mertesacker, Gabriel, Welbeck, Jenkinson and Ramsey are the only injury worries for Arsene Wenger before the game in Paris.
Prediction: It’s interesting to see if PSG’s bad form in the Ligue 1 will also be shown in the Champions League. They are slight favourites because of their home advantage, but they are not performing in a convincing way lately. Meanwhile, Arsenal are an unpredictable team, which can offer a lot in a good day and perform awfully when they are out of inspiration. Our tip for you is to avoid picking a winner and try a both teams to score instead.
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