Kylian Mbappé tells CNN Sport why he stayed with Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain, the French champions, are on the brink of becoming the first team to win back-to-back Champions League titles. The challenge is daunting; their opponents are the reigning champions, Manchester United. Will they play for the European Cup?
They have a golden opportunity to do so. Following a 1-1 draw on Tuesday night in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, PSG had their backs against the wall and seemed to be in a deadlock.
After going behind, the away side were left with the option of conceding an early goal, or to win the game. Should they choose to concede, they would leave themselves exposed to a team as experienced as Manchester United, who have only lost once at home in their previous 18 visits to Old Trafford. However, they are also more than capable of winning the game if things go their way.
PSG coach Thomas Tuchel says they are mentally ready to play at home. “In the second half, we saw a different game from Paris Saint-Germain: we were much better, much more compact, we were much more compact, we were stronger on the ball, we were stronger on the feet and we weren’t making many goalscoring mistakes.”
But is it the way to play in the Champions League where goals are the enemy? Tuchel says, “Yes, and when playing in the Champions League you need to be stronger in the box.”
The Frenchman says the team are still assessing their level, having played the first leg in front of 80,000 at the Parc des Princes. He says they are happy with PSG’s performances in Paris but says they are trying to improve all the time. “We can go a bit better tomorrow. We know we have to improve. The most important thing is to win tomorrow and then we have to be ready for the next game: to play at home. I am convinced that we will be able to do that.”
They will be playing a team with an entirely new formation, having changed their full