Key Battles and Prediction: Paris St-Germain vs AC Milan

AC Milan face PSG at the Parc des Princes tonight in a must win game in the group of death. The Rossoneri are yet to register a win or a goal in the competition. Stefano Pioli will be managing his 200th game for the Rossoneri and will want to mark the occasion with a win.

Here are some key battles to look out for:

Key Battles

Left back vs Right winger

Lucas Hernandez vs Christian Pulisic

There was some frustration with Pulisic being the substitution after the red card against Juventus on the weekend but he had not made an impact to that point in the game as he struggled to get past Kostic and Rugani. He will be facing one of the best left backs in the world in Lucas Hernandez and will need to be able to beat his man and push up the pitch if we are to have any chances as Leao will be swamped by Hakimi and Vitinha. The match up will need Pulisic to drop back and defend too as Hernandez will play a bit like his brother and rush up on the counter.

Striker vs Centre back

Kylian Mbappe vs Fikayo Tomori

Tomori had a poor seasob last year but has bounced back to be entirely indispensable for us. The Englishman will have one of the toughest tasks in modern football to step up to Mbappe and keep him at bay. The French striker will be looking to fire his side ahead very early into the game after their shambolic 4-1 loss to Newcastle. Tomori will need to be able to keep pace with Mbappe and not lose him. Thiaw will need to maintain his nerve and not concede silly bookings or a penalty. The defenders will need to realise the delicate situation they are in and must be able to frustrate Mbappe to keep him quiet.

Right back vs Left back

Achraf Hakimi vs Theo Hernandez

The battle for the best Serie A wingback from the 2020-21 season will be reignited tonight.. Hakimi won the title with Inter Milan before his big money move to PSG and was often compared to Theo despite them operating on opposite wings. The duo will go head to head for the first time since the World Cup semi final last year where Hernandez scored and France progressed. The duo play similarly and are very much attacking threats despite playing in defence. Hakimi has 4 goals and 2 assists this season while Hernandez has just 1 goal thus far.

Predictions

Pulisic Winner

Tomori Winner

Hakimi Winner