Big spenders under pressure to deliver CL
manchester — One of Europe’s traditional financial powerhouses Manchester United meet the nouveau riche Paris Saint-Germain as the Champions League last 16 gets underway on Tuesday with both sides hoping to finally reap some reward on the biggest stage from record levels of investment.
Despite splashing hundreds of millions on new players since taking over in 2011, PSG’s Qatari owners have not been able to buy success in the competition they crave the most with four successive quarter-final exits between 2013 and 2016 the furthest Roma (ITA) v Porto (POR) Man United (ENG) v PSG (FRA)
Tottenham (ENG) v Dortmund (GER) Ajax (NED) v Real Madrid (ENG) they have progressed.
Barcelona and Real Madrid have ended the French champions’ dreams at this stage in each of the past two seasons.
Once again in the last 16 PSG must face one of the few clubs in the world that can boast greater revenue than they can thanks to United’s commercial power and the riches of the Premier League’s TV contracts.
But, unlike the two Spanish giants who have used their financial muscle to win seven of the last 10 Champions League titles between them, United have made even less of an impression on the competition than PSG since making three finals in four years between 2008 and 2011.
Both clubs can be accused of being too star struck in their transfer policy, more focused on big names that reign in lucrative commercial deals than striking the right balance on the field to compete with the best when the margins become fine in the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Hitting form and finding fortune at the right time of the season is also key as PSG have found to their cost in the case of the world’s most expensive player Neymar.
The Brazilian will miss both legs of the tie against United due to a metatarsal injury in his right foot, the same problem that forced him to miss the second leg of PSG’s defeat to Madrid last year. —
first leg fixtures