PARIS ST-GERMAIN proved they can be potential European champions by defeating Manchester City last time out in the Champions League but it will count for nothing unless they follow it up with another home win over RB Leipzig.
Group A looked set to offer plenty of thrills when the draw was made and that's how it has panned out so far with PSG and shock troops Brugge leading the way and City just a point behind them.
Leipzig have disappointed by losing both their games but a victory at the Parc Des Princes would put them back in the mix and you wouldn't rule it out against a PSG side that continues to blow hot and cold.
Lionel Messi delivered the first dividend on PSG's massive investment when he scored a stunning clincher in the 2-0 win over City and ruined my tip of a one-goal winning margin that night. But Mauricio Pochettino's side then lost 2-0 at Rennes and only scraped a 2-1 home win over Angers at the weekend thanks to a late Kylian Mbappe penalty.
You get the sense Pochettino still doesn't know how to get the best out of all the weapons available to him and Leipzig have the players to punish any hesitancy from the French giants.
Jesse Marsch's men crashed 2-1 at home to Brugge on their last Euro outing but that's the only defeat in their last five games. Leipzig have drawn a blank just twice all season and have no option but to go for it in Paris as they bid to get back in the reckoning for a place in the last 16.
How the bookies view it
Despite their patchy performances, PSG are red-hot favourites for this one at a best 7/15 with SBK while RB Leipzig are as big as 32/5 with the same firm. The stalemate pays 17/4 with Mansionbet.
Head to head
These sides have faced off three times before and PSG have the edge with two wins and one defeat. They were in the same Champions League group last term and both games were tight, with Leipzig winning 2-1 at home and PSG getting their revenge with a 1-0 victory in Paris (below).
Players to watch
Messi and Neymar both sat it out at the weekend for PSG after South American World Cup qualifiers. They should return to the team here but I'm going to stick with Mbappe for a PSG goal despite him letting me down against City.
The World Cup winner (below) impressed for France in their Nations League success and also scored at the weekend so I fancy him here at 19/20 with SportNation for a goal. That's not great value but the odds increase to 2/1 at McBookie for him to be PSG's first scorer.
It's hard to look past Christopher Nkunku for a Leipzig goal after he netted four times in their first two group games, helping to bring up a scorer bet for our man Tolu. He has nine goals from just 11 appearances this term so looks overpriced at 24/5 with SBK for anytime scorer.
Anything else catch the eye?
On the evidence of the Group A games so far you have to go for goals, with 12 netted in Leipzig's first two games. Marsch always likes his teams to play on the front foot and it bodes well for a cracker here as Leipzig need a win.
Over 2.5 goals is just 18/35 with SBK so you need to go to over 3.5 to find value at 13/10. Both teams to score is also odds on a best 5/7 (SportNation) but over 1.5 first half goals is better at 21/17 with SBK. McBookie are also offering 20/21 on PSG netting in both halves and that looks a good option, especially for accas.
The two clashes between these sides last term were full-blooded affairs, with 11 yellows and two reds flashed in total. That suggests backing a busy night for the ref could pay off, although I've yet to see any markets on cards.
This UEFA Champions League match between Paris St-Germain and RB Leipzig will be played on Oct 19, 2021 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Paris St-Germain vs RB Leipzig prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
