Manchester City will face Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night in the second round of the Champions League group stage. PSG has a strong starting XI including Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe, and City’s head coach Pep Guardiola is unsure how to contain such great talent. Ahead of their Champions League match, Pep Guardiola reflected on facing PSG.
Pep Guardiola has openly admitted that he has no master plan in place to stop Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe when Manchester City takes on Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday. In a news conference held on Monday Guardiola stated, “This type of player speaks for himself on the pitch. I don’t have to add anything else.
“We are fortunate to see him in his 15, 16 years… I don’t know how many years since he turned professional. He speaks for himself. I don’t have to talk about him. What he’s done in his career is more than exceptional and hopefully tomorrow he can play for the good of the game,” Pep added.
“[Messi leaving Barca] was a surprise for everyone, but it happened and everyone accepts it. A long time ago or even a few years ago you couldn’t imagine it, but you never know what happens. I’m pretty sure he’ll be happy there in Paris.”
Lionel Messi, who was out from PSG’s last two games, is expected to be fit to play in the Champions League match. This will be the first time he has faced his former manager Guardiola since the six-time Ballon d’Or winner left Barcelona in August.
Of course, this will not be Messi’s first encounter with a Guardiola team; he has an impressive record of six goals in four games against his former coach, including a hat-trick in a 4-0 win over City in October 2016. As per our football predictions, we assume Manchester City vs PSG match to end in a 1-1 draw.
