Reaction to PSG Drawing Real Sociedad in the Champions League Round of 16
Paris Saint-Germain supporters were shocked Monday morning when the club avoided Europe's best in the knockout stage and drew an up-and-coming La Liga side instead.
We all knew that Manchester City would draw F.C. Copenhagen in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League. There was never any doubt about that. But, few would have predicted that the suspicious draw would be so favorable to Paris Saint-Germain, who drew Real Sociedad.
Now, this is no slight to Real Sociedad, but after finishing second in Group F, PSG’s draw could have been a lot worse. In fact, they had the highest odds to draw FC Bayern Munich. Other potential matchups included Arsenal FC, Manchester City, FC Barcelona, and Real Madrid. Real Sociedad will undoubtedly pose a challenge to Les Parisiens, but they’re not on the level of these teams.
PSG supporters could hardly believe their luck when the draw was announced on Monday morning. Since 2015, PSG has faced a gauntlet in the Round of 16, including Barcelona (twice), Chelsea FC (twice), Real Madrid (twice), FC Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, and Manchester United.
To win the Champions League, you need to be a little bit lucky, and PSG has certainly been that in the latest edition of the competition. Against Newcastle United F.C. on matchday five, PSG was awarded a questionable penalty in the waning minutes to secure the 1-1 draw, and on matchday six, PSG went from second in the group to third, to second again all in the span of a few minutes.
If things didn’t break a certain way for Luis Enrique’s squad, we could all be mentally preparing for UEFA Europa League football on Thursday nights now. Instead, not only is PSG still in the Champions League, but now they have a real opportunity to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since the 2020-21 season if they can get past Real Sociedad.
The first match against the Basque club will be on February 14 at the Parc des Princes, and the return leg will be on March 5. These dates are important because there’s a key member of PSG’s squad who is working to return from injury, and he may be able to feature in these matches. Nuno Mendes has been out for a year but should be available after January. Perhaps thrusting him into the Champions League right away isn’t ideal, but if PSG can advance to the next round, the Portugal international could play a pivotal role and provide Luis Enrique with some flexibility. Presnel Kimpembe is also working to return from injury and could add some much-needed depth to PSG’s defensive back line.
Another positive that PSG supporters can lean into is the club’s xG (expected goal) in the group stage of the Champions League. Through six matches, PSG recorded an xG of 13.3, while their opponents finished with a combined six. Yes, PSG missed a lot of the chances they created, but the fact is they’re creating them, and I have to believe players like Kylian Mbappé, Randal Kolo Muani, Ousmane Dembélé, and Gonçalo Ramos will eventually start converting those chances, and when they do, we could be treated to an offensive onslaught the likes we haven’t seen at PSG in some time.
The draw away at Lille OSC over the weekend didn’t do much to build confidence, especially with Lille’s equalizer coming in stoppage time off a mistake by Marco Asensio, but I remain positive about the season. At the moment, PSG leads Ligue 1 and has a date with Real Sociedad in the Round of 16 of the Champions League. I think before the season, any reasonable PSG supporter would take that if offered, considering the number of new players in the squad and a new manager.