Paris Saint-Germain head into their trip to San Mamés knowing their Champions League path could become clearer with a win on Wednesday night. SoftFootball already highlighted how Luis Enrique’s men continue to break scoring records in Europe this year, including their new UCL record tally reported.
Athletic Club, meanwhile, have been in a rough patch, something SoftFootball covered after their recent heavy defeats, such as the 4-0 loss to Barcelona.
PSG sit second in the league-phase standings with 12 points from five matches and arrive in Bilbao with strong momentum. Their last UCL outing was the wild 5-3 win over Tottenham, following a defeat to Bayern, but it did not break their rhythm too badly.
Athletic have not found things so easy, scoring only once in their last three European games, though their stadium still remains one of the toughest places to visit.
Team News
PSG will be without Ousmane Dembele, who is out ill, which is a blow considering his importance last season. Lucas Chevalier, Lucas Beraldo and Achraf Hakimi are also missing, with all three still working back to fitness.
Matvei Safonov is expected to start in goal, even though he has had a mixed run recently. Young talents like Warren Zaïre-Emery, João Neves and Désiré Doué all made the travelling squad, which was shared on the club’s official X account.
Check the post below:
Aitor Paredes is suspended, and Inaki Williams has been struggling for fitness, leaving Nico Williams with a lot more weight on his shoulders than usual. Athletic Club posted on their official X account that Aymeric Laporte suffered a hamstring injury against Atletico Madrid and is ruled out.
Check the post below:
Possible Lineups
Athletic Club (4-2-3-1): Simón; Areso, Vivian, Lekue, Berchiche; Ruiz de Galarreta, Jauregizar; Berenguer, Sancet, Nico Williams; Guruzeta.
Paris Saint-Germain (4-3-3): Safonov; Zaïre-Emery, Marquinhos, Pacho, Nuno Mendes; Neves, Vitinha, Fabián Ruiz; Kvaratskhelia, Ramos, Barcola.
SoftFootball’s Prediction
Athletic’s inconsistency might make this tougher for them than usual. PSG have been shaky at times, but they keep finding goals from everywhere, especially Vitinha, whom Thomas Frank recently backed for a future Ballon d’Or. With their recent 5-0 win over Rennes and the confidence Enrique’s group has shown, a win for PSG feels like the most likely outcome, even with San Mamés being a place that usually bites back.
Prediction: Athletic Club 1-3 Paris Saint-Germain.
