What: Champions League Round of 16 – Second Leg
Who: Paris Saint-Germain (4) vs Bayer Leverkusen (0) – (First leg score in brackets)
When: Wednesday 12th March, 2014, at 19:45 UK Time
Where: Parc des Princes, Paris, France
Looking Ahead
Paris Saint-Germain and Bayer Leverkusen square off on Wednesday evening in Paris with progression to the last eight of the Champions League a foregone conclusion. PSG’s 4-0 thumping of Leverkusen in Germany means that even the most optimistic of the German club’s supporters cannot envision a way back for their side.
In fact, this match will give PSG manager Laurent Blanc a chance to rotate his side and he will rest some key players. The French champions are coming off another convincing Ligue 1 performance at the weekend with a 3-0 away win to Bastia. Blanc stated that the result was a perfect way to get ready for the Leverkusen second leg.
"Winning matches is always the best preparation", said Blanc. "This week was a little complicated to prepare the trip [to Bastia] with internationals all over the place. But we can be sure that whatever team we pick, mentally they will be ready.
With such a scoreline from the first leg, PSG will certainly be looking ahead to their potential opponents in the next round of the competition.
Trouble For Leverkusen
Sami Hyypia’s Leverkusen side began the season in sparkling form and at one point were the only side that seemed likely to challenge Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. It has been a woeful start to 2014 for the team however as they are currently in the midst of a six-match winless run.
A weekend draw against Hannover was more concerning once again not just because of the result but rather the performance. Highly-rated goalkeeper Bernd Leno was very busy on the night and Hyppia can thank him for the point gained.
Leno seemed to accurately describe the team’s recent decline after the match. "There was a sense of uncertainty on the pitch and you can only get over that by winning games", he said. “We've got to start doing that straight away."
Hyypia received the dreaded vote of confidence last week from the Leverkusen higher-ups and must be wondering what has happened to his side. Regardless of the result, the Finnish boss will be looking for an improved performance against PSG. At this point, the concern is no longer on the club’s European ambitions. Instead, finishing near the top of the Bundesliga will be the main goal.
Recent form
Paris Saint-Germain:
Toulouse 2-4 Paris Saint-Germain (23/02; Ligue 1)
Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 Marseille (02/03; Ligue 1)
Bastia 0-3 Paris Saint-Germain (08/03; Ligue 1)
Bayer Leverkusen:
Wolfsburg 3-1 Bayer Leverkusen (22/02; Bundesliga)
Bayer Leverkusen 0-1 Mainz (01/03; Bundesliga)
Hannover 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen (08/03; Bundesliga)
Key absences
Paris Saint-Germain: Jeremy Menez; Zoumana Camara
Bayer Leverkusen: Jens Hegeler; Lars Bender (doubt); Stefan Reinhartz (doubt); Omer Toprak (doubt)
Players to watch
Paris Saint-Germain – Ezequiel Lavezzi: The Argentine may not have the star power of his fellow team-mates Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Edinson Cavani, but that hasn’t stopped him from continuing to be a key contributor for PSG over the last two seasons. His stats won’t carry the weight of the team’s other attackers, but ten goals on the season is not a bad return. Lavezzi’s all action game and ability to cause problems on the left side of attack make him an important cog in the PSG machine.
Bayer Leverkusen – Sidney Sam: The 26-year-old winger is having his best season for Leverkusen even if injuries have limited him to 16 league appearances. Though he hasn’t endeared himself to the club’s supporters with an already announced move to Schalke next season, Sam is finishing his career at Leverkusen in strong fashion and is a player that could cause PSG trouble on the night.
Match Prediction
There could be a few goals in this match with the pressure off and not much to play for. PSG will almost certainly advance with such a massive first leg lead. Blanc will want to ensure that his side remain professional however as this is a crucial phase of the season and any letdown could lead to a loss in form. Leverkusen will be playing for pride more than anything. A positive result though could help get their season back on track. If PSG rotate as planned then it could be a close match, but the Parisians will still be favourites to win on the night. Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 Bayer Leverkusen.
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