Paris Saint-Germain’s (PSG) Lee Kang-jin could start in their Group of Death final, with both local media and UEFA recently suggesting that the ‘winger’ will start.랭크카지노
PSG will face Borussia Dortmund in the final Group F match of the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League (UCL) at the Zignale Iduna Park in Westphalia, Germany, on 14 April at 5am (GMT).
Ahead of the match, French publication L’Equipe predicted PSG’s starting XI against Dortmund. Lee Kang-in was one of them. The publication predicted that PSG will play a 4-3-3 in the final. Bradley Barca-Kylian Mbappe-Lee Kang-In up front, with Vitinha-Manuel Ugarte-Warren Zaire-Emery in midfield. The back four is expected to be Luca Hernandez-Marquinhos-Milan Shkriniar-Achirap Hakimi, with Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal.
Meanwhile, UEFA also predicted that Lee Kang-In would start. The difference was that instead of Bacca, Randall Kolo-Moani was included in the squad. However, UEFA also predicted that Lee would be deployed up front.
Can the ‘winger’ prove the critics wrong this time?
Lee started at right-back in the 15th round of the 2023-24 French Ligue 1 season against Nantes on 10 October and failed to impress in that position. “There was no link-up play with Hakimi and he was not efficient,” said French publication L’Equipe, further highlighting the absence of Ousmane Dembele.
Lee started on the right because Dembele was suspended for the UCL final due to accumulating cautions. Outside of Dembele, it’s not clear who PSG’s right-back options are. Marco Asensio is not at full fitness due to injury. In his place, Lee Kang-In, who has experience on the wing, hasn’t made much of an impact.
However, Lee did make an impact after moving to the left against Nantes. He attacked from free-kicks and scored the winning goal with a sharp kick. It was a performance that was criticised, but it also showed that he still has talent.
Meanwhile, the 14th will see the fate of Group F, the UCL’s ‘group of death’, decided. After five games, the standings in Group F are Dortmund (10 points), PSG (7 points), Newcastle (5 points) and AC Milan (5 points). Only Dortmund have secured their place in the round of 16, with the other three teams still in with a chance. The final match will be a head-to-head between 1-2 and 3-4.
For PSG, top spot in the group is clearly the priority. If they beat Dortmund and finish level on points, they will finish first on head-to-head. In the event of a draw, it could be a close call depending on the winner of the Newcastle-Milan game.
PSG have one draw and one loss against Newcastle (two goals scored and five conceded) and one win and one loss against Milan (four goals scored and two conceded). If Newcastle were to beat Milan and draw level on points with PSG, PSG could slip to third place due to their superior head-to-head record. PSG have never failed to reach the last 16 of the UCL since their Qatari capital takeover in the 2010s. Their most recent appearance in the UEFA Europa League (UEL) was in the 2011-12 season.