When Paris Saint-Germain travels all the way to Israel on Wednesday night to take on Maccabi Haifa in a match that is part of the Champions League Group H, they will be looking to win their second game in a row in the competition.
On the first day of the competition, the home team was defeated by Benfica by a score of 2-0, while Christophe Galtier’s squad prevailed against Juventus by a score of 2-1 at the Parc des Princes.
Match Preview: Maccabi Haifa vs Paris Saint-Germain
Last week’s first Champions League group-stage game for Maccabi Haifa went as expected. Rafa Silva and Alex Grimaldo of Benfica beat Maccabi Tel Aviv 2-0 in the second half.
Omer Atzili’s brace helped Barak Bakhar’s squad beat Sekzia Ness Ziona 3-1 with 10 men. Maccabi Haifa is among the top of European football for the third time. At 2002-03 and 2009-10, they were eliminated in the group stage in Bordeaux.
Bakhar’s team beat Olympiacos 4-0 in Champions League qualifying, but they’ve lost seven consecutive group-stage games and might become only the second club to lose eight straight without scoring.
Kylian Mbappe and Neymar played well together in PSG’s 2-1 win against Juventus. Mbappe volleyed home Neymar’s chip before halftime. Despite Weston McKennie’s header, PSG won.
Lionel Messi set up Neymar for PSG’s 1-0 win against Brest on Sunday, but Gianluigi Donnarumma saved an Islam Slimani penalty. Les Parisiens are unbeaten in 2022-23 after winning four consecutive games.
They hope to score three goals in nine consecutive away games. They might equal Real Madrid’s record of 40 consecutive group-stage goals (2008-2015). On a more bitter note, the Ligue 1 champions had a horrible set of results on the road in the Champions League last season.
It has gone winless in each of its last five such matches in the competition, thus Galtier must get a first-ever win against Maccabi Haifa at the third attempt.
Team News: Maccabi Haifa vs Paris Saint-Germain
Midfielder Ali Mohamed was injured after just 32 minutes of Maccabi Haifa’s defeat to Benfica and did not play in the team’s subsequent victory against Sekzia Ness Ziona on the weekend.
Suf Podgoreanu, an attacker, was sidelined after just 11 minutes due to an Achilles injury, thus Atzili, who was not used in the starting lineup in Portugal, should be given the nod today.
Maccabi Haifa is still short in the engine room while Mahmoud Jaber recovers from a damaged femur, thus it is probable that Mohammed Abu Fani will take Mohamed’s position.
Presnel Kimpembe, a central defender for PSG, had a nightmare game against Brest. Not only did he concede a penalty that Donnarumma saved, but he also injured his hamstring when tackling Irvin Cardona.
Galtier has admitted that Kimpembe would sit this one out after receiving a red card for his tackle, but VAR reversed the judgment. Midfielder Renato Sanches is also out with an adductor injury.
The visitors still have plenty of alternatives in the middle of the field, but Galtier may choose to rest Vitinha and Marco Verratti by starting Carlos Soler or Fabian Ruiz this week.
- It’s Probable That These Players Will Start For Maccabi Haifa: Cohen, Seck, Goldberg, Batubinsika, Eliyahu, Fani, Lavi, Haziza, Chery, Atzili, Pierrot.
- In a Potential Starting Lineup For Paris Saint-Germain, We See: Donnarumma, Pereira, Marquinhos, Ramos, Mukiele, Verratti, Ruiz, Mendes, Messi, Mbappe, Neymar.
Our Prediction: Maccabi Haifa 0-3 Paris Saint-Germain
Maccabi Haifa is fairly small in midfield and unlikely to challenge the French champions in the final third, but PSG’s struggles on the road in the Champions League last season shouldn’t matter here.
While the Israeli champions kept Benfica at bay for a while on the first day and Paris Saint-Germain struggled to break through a five-man Brest defense, Galtier’s squad should have no issue advancing this week.
