Football NewsUCL: PSG Vs Club Brugge KV – Match preview
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PSG have a strength in depth most others lack, and haven’t failed to win a group stage home match against a side drawn from Pot 3 or 4 since December 2016.

PSG

In one of the more clear-cut UEFA Champions League groups, PSG are guaranteed to finish second regardless of events on matchday six. This may see the introduction of some fringe names, but a comfortable home win is still seen as highly likely, with the Parisian’s currently boasting a run of four straight UEFA Champions League group stage home wins prior to kickoff. PSG have a strength in depth most others lack, and haven’t failed to win a group stage home match against a side drawn from Pot 3 or 4 since December 2016. There is practically nothing to argue against PSG, but they managed only a 1-0 victory in their first-ever home H2H against Club Brugge with a full-strength squad just two years ago (Nov 2019).

Club Brugge KV

Club Brugge must somehow better RB Leipzig’s result against Group A winners Manchester City to continue their participation in Europe into the new year. The Belgian outfit could look to their opening-night result for inspiration, as they held PSG to a 1-1 draw despite conceding first. Sadly for the ‘Blauw-Zwart’, they were unable to build on that result, and a horrific -11 goal difference – the joint-second worst amongst the 32 teams by the end of matchday five – is hard to ignore. On another grim note, Brugge’s tally of 16 goals conceded across five group games equates to an average of 3.2 goals conceded per match.

 

Lionel Messi has scored three goals across his previous two European home games, netting exclusively beyond the hour mark. Another goal would make him the first PSG man since Neymar (2017/18) to score in all three UEFA Champions League group stage home games, while Brugge’s hopes may lie with Hans Vanaken, who netted in the reverse H2H. All of PSG’s five UEFA Champions League group games have produced over 6.5 total match corners.