PSG Collapse Could See Changes

For the tenth straight season, Paris Saint-Germain have failed to win the Champions League despite being one of the favorites. PSG’s continual shortcomings in European football have turned France’s best football club into a meme, and that could herald some major shifts in the coming months.

PSG looked like they would cruise to the quarterfinals after beating Real Madrid 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie and taking a 1-0 lead into halftime of the second leg. However, two Kylian Mbappe goals were ruled offside, and Real Madrid talisman Karim Benzema notched a hat trick in the span of 18 minutes to send PSG crashing out of Europe’s top football competition.

The knockout rounds of the Champions League continue to be a major problem for the club. PSG have now been knocked out in the Round of 16 four times and eliminated in the quarterfinals four times in the last decade. They have only made one Champions League Final, where they fell 1-0 to Bayern Munich.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR PSG?

The addition of Lionel Messi was supposed to finally put PSG over the top. However, Messi was a major disappointment in both legs of the Champions League tie against Real Madrid. He missed a penalty in the first leg that would have given PSG a 2-0 win heading into the Bernabeu, and he was largely nonexistent in the second leg.

Kylian Mbappe was brilliant in both games, but he is rumored to be on his way to Real Madrid this summer. Mbappe is arguably the most talented player in the world at this point, taking the torch from Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He has outshined Neymar domestically and internationally with 14 goals and 10 assists in Ligue 1 in addition to his Champions League heroics.

The horrorshow defending we saw in the last half hour against Real Madrid on Wednesday must be addressed. Mistakes from goaltender Gianluigi Donnarumma and defenders Marquinhos and Achraf Hakimi were instrumental in PSG’s collapse.

WHO ARE THE FAVORITES TO WIN THE 2021-22 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE NOW?

PSG’s sister club in terms of European agony is now the favorite to win the 2021-22 Champions League. Manchester City are the only club that can match PSG in terms of disappointment in continental play, but the Citizens thrashed Sporting Lisbon to advance to the quarterfinals.

Liverpool and Bayern Munich are the other two favorites, and they are two of the most successful clubs in Champions League history. They have won two of the last three Champions League titles, and both clubs have advanced to the quarterfinals.

Listed below are all of the Champions League Odds for the remaining 12 teams.

2021-22 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ODDS

Odds Subject to Change - per Bet365