Paris Saint-Germain's Slovak defender Milan Skriniar (centre) competes for the ball with his teammate and Portuguese midfielder Vitinha (left) during a training session ahead of the UEFA Champions League match against Atletico Madrid at the Campus Paris Saint-Germain in Poissy, on the western outskirts of Paris, on Tuesday. — AFP
Kylian Mbappe's departure from Paris Saint-Germain left a significant void, and the French team is struggling in this season's Champions League without their former star's goals. Mbappe, now at Real Madrid, scored a club-record 256 goals in seven seasons in Paris. His old club faces Atletico Madrid on Wednesday in a pivotal game for their European campaign. PSG has managed only four points from three games in the new-look Champions League, despite favorable home fixtures against Girona and PSV Eindhoven, and a trip to Arsenal.
Luis Enrique's team narrowly beat Girona 1-0 thanks to a late own-goal, despite 26 attempts. This was followed by a 2-0 loss at Arsenal, suggesting PSG is far from being contenders for the Champions League title. A 1-1 draw against PSV, with 26 more attempts, highlighted their poor finishing. PSG needs to finish in the top 24 of this 36-team league to reach the play-off round, and two wins from their remaining five fixtures might suffice. However, failing to beat Atletico could put the Ligue 1 champions in a precarious position with their next game away to Bayern Munich.
"It is the worst group," Luis Enrique said after the PSV game, referring to their fixtures, which include Red Bull Salzburg, Manchester City, and VfB Stuttgart. "We need to improve and keep going. But yes, it is difficult and of course I am worried." PSG is performing well in Ligue 1, leading the table by six points with 29 goals in 10 matches. Mbappe scored 44 times in 48 appearances last season, though he often struggled to maintain his best form. PSG's Champions League struggles predate Mbappe's departure, as they failed to score in last season's semi-finals against Borussia Dortmund despite 45 attempts.
This season, they have scored two goals from 62 attempts in Europe and must be more clinical against Atletico Madrid, Spain's best defense. Bradley Barcola, the 22-year-old France international left-winger, is PSG's main attacking threat with eight goals this season, while Ousmane Dembele has contributed five from the right. "We must not have one player on whom all the pressure lies," Luis Enrique said of Barcola. The main issue is the lack of a reliable center-forward. Goncalo Ramos was set to be the first choice but suffered an ankle injury early in the season and has yet to return. Randal Kolo Muani, signed from Eintracht Frankfurt for 90 million euros, has never settled at PSG despite good form for France. Kolo Muani has been an unused substitute in the last two games, and a January departure seems likely.
"I count on all my players," Luis Enrique insisted, often deploying Marco Asensio or Lee Kang-in as a false nine. The former Barcelona coach has downplayed concerns about his team. "We are scoring more goals, picking up more points, I don't see any problems. There has maybe been one match in the Champions League in which we were not up to standard but we were much better than our opponents in the other two games." Despite this, the coach and his team will be judged primarily on their Champions League results, and the pressure is mounting.
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