Finish the job in Belgrade
Paris Saint-Germain take on Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade on Tuesday in their final game in Group C knowing that a win will see them through to the knockout stages of the competition for the eighth year in a row...
It's Matchday 6 and Endgame in Group C where three of the four sides can qualify for the UCL last-16 and all four sides can still hope to be playing in one of the European Cups next February. Second in the section with eight points, one point behind Napoli and two ahead of Liverpool, Paris have their fate in their own hands: A win and Les Rouge et Bleu will be into the next round.
While Crvena Zvezda can't go through to the last-16 of the Champions League, they can still qualify for the Rd-of-32 of the Europa League if they win and Liverpool lose to Napoli. They and their supporters will be giving it everything in the Marakana, where the atmosphere promises to be electric: "We are in a very tough group, with very passionate, noisy stadia, whether it be here, at the Parc des Princes, in Liverpool or Napoli," explained Kylian Mbappé at the pre-match press conference. "This is a new experience to come here for us, but we are here to qualify, not look at the supporters. Our aim is to win."
Paris coach Thomas Tuchel echoed his player's thoughts: "Winning here is a great challenge. We know it won't be easy. We are not too worried about what Napoli and Liverpool did here. We are masters of our own destiny, we are here to qualify, with all due respect to our opponents and their supporters. We need to produce a big performance, like we did against Liverpool. Now we need to book our place in the next round with a win on Tuesday night."
Paris trained at the Stadion Rajko Mitic on Monday night, fine-tuning preparations as they look to become the first side to win here, in any competition, this season: a win that will see the European dream alive and well over the Festive period...