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Leipzig seek revenge over City
AFP, Paris
RB Leipzig coach Marco Rose said last season’s 7-0 thrashing by Manchester City was “history” as the two sides prepare to meet again in the Champions League in Germany on Wednesday.
City’s rampant victory in their home leg of the last 16 tie, with Erling Haaland scoring five goals in 60 minutes, was one of the English side’s key victories on the way to winning the Champions League for the first time last season.
“It wasn’t part of the preparation for the game, because it’s history,” Rose said in Leipzig on Tuesday.
“Everything came together for them in that match and of course we were hugely dissatisfied with the size of the result.
“But we’re in a new season and we’re doing pretty well right now.”
Leipzig have won seven of nine games in all competitions this season and come into the match fresh from a 2-2 home draw with German champions Bayern Munich.
Rose said his side could draw positives from the home leg against City last season, where Leipzig fought hard to draw 1-1.
“We know that we played very well at home and for that to happen again tomorrow, we have to run a lot and we have to suffer.”
Rose said “yes” when asked if City were the best side in the world.
“But that doesn’t help us and it doesn’t help City,” he added. “It’s football and we will play 11 against 11.
“We know City’s quality. We will need a top performance and a slice of luck.”
City come into the match in a rare run of poor form, having lost two games in a row for the first time since January.
The English champions are also missing midfielders Kevin de Bruyne and Bernardo Silva.
Rose however praised City’s squad depth, saying “even when de Bruyne and Bernardo Silva are missing, then in comes (Mateo) Kovacic, then in comes Phil Foden, who has developed really well.”
Are PSG serious contenders?
A summer of change has left Paris Saint-Germain with a radically revamped squad, shorn of some of its biggest stars, and for now they remain a work in progress in what could be Kylian Mbappe’s final season in the French capital.
They face Newcastle United in the Champions League on Wednesday in a tie that captures the imagination beyond its significance as the first meeting of the clubs backed by Qatar and Saudi Arabia respectively.
PSG already have the upper hand in a tough Group F after beating Borussia Dortmund 2-0 a fortnight ago while Newcastle drew 0-0 with AC Milan.
Avoid defeat at St James’ Park and Luis Enrique’s team will be well on course to qualify for the knockout stages.
Porto chance for Barca to prove progress
After consecutive premature and humiliating Champions League exits, Barcelona visit Porto on Wednesday aiming to make a statement in their trickiest group stage fixture.
Xavi Hernandez’s side, five-time winners of the competition, have set their sights on returning to Europe’s elite, with that goal informing their transfer strategy last summer.
After two consecutive tough group stage draws, this season Barcelona had more fortune.
They waltzed past Belgian champions Royal Antwerp with a 5-0 triumph in their opener but Xavi was quick to acknowledge it means little in terms of their overall chances, given they also thrashed Viktoria Plzen 5-1 in their first match last year.
“It’s too soon (to say we can win it), last year we were in the same situation and it didn’t go well, we have to be cautious,” Xavi told reporters.
“We have to continue like this, we’re on a good path... next up we have the most complicated match of the group, in Porto.
“We have the capacity, the confidence, but in the next game we have what I would say is the hardest game.”
The clash at the Estadio Do Dragao against Porto, who did make it through the group in both of the last two seasons, will be a useful barometer of whether Barcelona are close to the level they want to be.