Champions League preview: Stars aligning for Manchester United to eliminate PSG

It has been just under two months since the draw for the Champions League last-16 was made and so much has changed since then. Paris Saint-Germain were considered overwhelming favourites when they were paired with Manchester United, who were managed by Jose Mourinho at the time. It is safe to say that is no longer the feeling heading into Tuesday’s encounter at Old Trafford.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has won 10 of his first 11 matches in charge of United, winning away to Tottenham and Arsenal in that spell. The Red Devils have arguably never been in such good shape since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. Solskjaer has barely put a foot wrong since being brought in to rescue the club but the results obtained over the next month will likely dictate whether he gets the job on a full-time basis in the summer. 

While the 45-year-old has made some tactical adjustments, much of United’s recent success has been done to his superb man-management skills, fostered from his time playing under Ferguson for 11 years where he would often take notes in preparation for football management. He has lifted the doom and gloom that surrounded Old Trafford under Mourinho and got United’s star players back on track. 

Mourinho wanted to sell Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial last summer and their performances under Solskjaer has underlined why chief executive Ed Woodward was right to block their departures. Pogba has scored or assisted 13 goals in 10 appearances under Solskjaer, four more than he managed in 20 matches under Mourinho this season. Martial, who has now pledged his long-term future to United following Mourinho’s departure, delivered a Cristiano Ronaldo-esque performance against Fulham on Saturday. 

They aren’t the only players benefitting from Solskjaer’s appointment. Ander Herrera and Nemanja Matic have a spring in their step once again and Victor Lindelof is remarkably now considered the defender United cannot afford to be without. Such a mark of his resurgence was that he was rested against Fulham to have him fresh for PSG on Tuesday night. Marcus Rashford is another that has the wind behind him. The 21-year-old is playing centrally under Solskjaer and has responded with six goals in 10 matches. 

While everything is going United’s way at the moment, the same cannot be said for their French counterparts. Neymar has already been ruled out until the end of March and PSG are resigned to the fact Edinson Cavani will also miss both legs. The Uruguay international suffered a thigh injury in the first half of PSG’s 1-0 win over Bordeaux on Saturday and the initial prognosis is not good. Neymar has had a direct hand in 26 goals in 19 league and European matches this season, while Cavani averages a goal or an assist every 71.4 minutes over the two competitions. 

PSG head coach Tuchel is at least boosted by the return of Marco Verratti, who made his comeback from a sprained ankle against Bordeaux. The 26-year-old was instrumental in their 2-1 win at home to Liverpool in November and will have a big part to play in midweek. After a failed stint at United, Angel di Maria will also have something to prove on his first return to Old Trafford since leaving the club in 2015. 

While the absence of Neymar and Cavani is an obvious blow to PSG and the spectacle as a whole, it does set the scene for a mouthwatering showdown between two of the most exciting young strikers in the world. Kylian Mbappe is the obvious candidate to replace Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as the world’s best player in the years to come and Marcus Rashford is back on the same path as the PSG No.7. 

There will be occasions over the two legs where both will have the chance to stretch their legs and demonstrate their frightening speed. You can already imagine the internet trolling of Phil Jones potentially tasked with stifling Mbappe, while we will be given a good barometer of Rashford’s development following his tussle with Thiago Silva and Co.

Rashford has showed an improved eye for goal during his short time working with Solskjaer but will need to be at his best against PSG where chances will be at a premium. His counterpart, Mbappe, has incredibly scored or assisted 31 goals in 23 league and Champions League appearances this season and Tuchel will challenege the 2018 World Cup to make this side PSG his own against United.