Paris Saint-Germain vs Manchester City (UEFA Champions League): Match Preview, Team News, Head to Head, Stats, How to Watch

Manchester City return to their struggling continental campaign and travel to the French capital this week to take on reigning Ligue 1 champions, Paris Saint-Germain.

So far this season, the Champions League has been far from the easiest place to play for Manchester City, as they currently sit 24th place in the league phase table coming into Wednesday night’s clash – on the cusp of qualification for a last-16 play-off tie.

These struggles were on show for all to see in their last European outing when they took on Italian side Juventus, who dominated the Sky Blues in a 2-0 victory, despite having less possession, shots at goal, and shots on target in Turin last month.

The matchday before against Feyenoord was yet another reminder of the rut which Pep Guardiola’s side had themselves in over a two-month period, giving up a 3-0 home lead to draw 3-3 in the final 15 minutes of an Etihad Stadium clash.

Yet, the Parisians are another side that have found themselves struggling with the new format in the UEFA Champions League, as they come into Wednesday night’s match in 26th position, outside of the play-off spots.

These issues were not seen in their last European night however, as they rocked RB Salzburg in a 3-0 victory, with Goncalo Ramos, Nuno Mendes, and Desire Doue finding the back of the net for the French giants.

With the two sides sat so closely together in the current Champions League table and there being only one game to follow Wednesday night’s match, it is safe to say that there is a lot to play for at the Parc des Princes this week!

Match Details

The match between Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City will take place on Wednesday 22 January with kick-off in Paris scheduled for 20:00 (UK) at the iconic Parc des Princes in the French capital.

Match Officials

UEFA have confirmed this week that Polish official Szymon Marciniak has been appointed as the match referee for the meeting between Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City, accompanied by a largely all-Polish team of officials.

You can find the full list of match referees for the contest at the Parc des Princes below!

Team News

Over the last week, Manchester City have confirmed the signings of central defensive duo, Vitor Reis and Abdukodir Khusanov – both of whom were announced on Monday and Tuesday respectively.

Despite arriving at the club earlier on in the week, the pair were not named in the travelling Manchester City squad to the French capital, with Pep Guardiola explaining that UEFA rules mean they will not be able to play for the club in the competition until the next round.

“In the Champions League it is not possible that they play until if we have qualified for the last 16,” explained Guardiola during his pre-match press conference on Tuesday evening. He continued, “In the Premier League they are able to play already.”

Jeremy Doku will not feature in Wednesday night’s match due to an unknown injury, believed to have been sustained in the 0-6 thrashing of Ipswich Town in Premier League action over the weekend.

While the Belgian winger is out, the same cannot be said for John Stones and Ruben Dias, who are back to fitness, according to Pep Guardiola. “Ruben is back, John is back, and people up front they are coming back, too.”

Head to Head

The Paris Saint-Germain – Manchester City fixture has become something of a staple over the recent stretch of UEFA Champions League campaigns, with the two sides meeting five times in the last decade, which includes both the group stage and the play-offs.

Regardless of the fixture, the Sky Blues have come out on top in four of their last five meetings, with their only loss coming in the first group stage game against the French giants, when Idrissa Gueye and Lionel Messi found the back of the net.

Statistics

Paris Saint-Germain have only won one of their seven matches against Manchester City in European competition (D2 L4). Among teams they have faced more than five times in Europe, this is their lowest win percentage against any opponent (14%).

Paris Saint-Germain won their last home match against Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League, despite attempting just six shots (2-0 in September 2021). This remains the fewest shots they have had on record (since 2003-04) in a home match in the competition.

Paris Saint-Germain won 3-0 against FC Salzburg on MD6, registering as many wins and goals as they had across their previous seven games in the UEFA Champions League (W1 D2 L4). They last won consecutive games in the competition last February when they beat Real Sociedad home and away in the last 16.

This will be the fifth meeting between Paris Saint-Germain’s Luis Enrique and Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola, with both winning two games each in the UEFA Champions League. However, along with Jürgen Klopp (2), Luis Enrique is one of only two managers to have beaten Guardiola by 3+ goals on multiple occasions (3-0 in May 2015 and 4-0 in October 2016, both in charge of Barcelona).

Manchester City have lost their last two away UEFA Champions League matches, only one fewer than they had lost in their previous 28 away games (W16 D9 L3). Only once have they lost more on the bounce, doing so between November 2011 and December 2012 under Roberto Mancini (four).

How to Watch

For viewers in the United Kingdom, you can view Wednesday’s match on TNT Sports 1.

For viewers in the United States, you can view the match on Paramount Plus, with kick-off slated for 3:00 p.m. EST.

You can find full global TV listings for the match here!

City Xtra will have full live coverage available on our X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram channels throughout Wednesday evening, with content also provided on cityxtra.co.uk and YouTube!