Can anyone stop PSG from winning a third straight Champions League?

For 45 minutes astatine the Etihad Stadium connected Wednesday night, Paris Saint-Germain looked astir intolerable to stop, racing into a 3-0 half-time pb earlier yet securing a thrilling and chaotic 4-2 victory, delivering different connection of their European credentials.

The lucifer was besides City's archetypal location crippled since an autarkic committee recovered the nine blameworthy of 114 breaches of Premier League fiscal rules, a verdict the nine is appealing.

Having won the Champions League successful each of the past 2 seasons, beating Inter Milan and Arsenal successful the finals respectively, PSG are present bidding to go the archetypal squad since Real Madrid completed their three-peat successful 2018 to triumph 3 consecutive titles successful the competition's modern era.

Their singular squad extent was underlined by Joao Neves and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia some starting connected the seat against City, highlighting the wealthiness of options disposable to their experienced Spanish manager.

However, the Citizens' second-half effect showed that adjacent the defending champions tin beryllium troubled, with Erling Haaland scoring doubly arsenic the hosts threatened an improbable comeback, portion the six-goal thriller contributed to a record-breaking Champions League matchday, with 78 goals scored crossed 18 fixtures connected Tuesday and Wednesday.

With that successful mind, Sports Mole assesses whether PSG tin triumph a 3rd consecutive Champions League rubric and, if not, however their European rivals tin halt them.

Luis Enrique's tactical nous and squad extent acceptable PSG apart

The archetypal fractional astatine the Etihad was a reminder of conscionable however hard PSG tin beryllium to incorporate erstwhile their attacking players harvester astatine afloat speed.

Rather than relying connected 1 idiosyncratic to nutrient moments of brilliance, Luis Enrique's broadside usage speedy passing and intelligent question to make openings, portion their quality to property aggressively aft losing possession makes them an exhausting hostile to face.

Manchester City struggled to header with that strength earlier the break, arsenic PSG repeatedly recovered ways done City's antiaircraft portion to physique a commanding advantage.

The prime disposable to Enrique is different large crushed wherefore the French giants are truthful good placed to situation for a 3rd consecutive European crown.

The information that Neves and Kvaratskhelia were some near retired of the starting XI against City highlights the contention for places, with the Spaniard capable to telephone upon players susceptible of changing a lucifer without needfully altering his team's wide approach.

However, Bradley Barcola's summertime determination to Liverpool has outgo PSG a proven attacking option, with the Frenchman underlining his prime by scoring a hat-trick against LASK conscionable hours earlier the champions bushed Manchester City, meaning Enrique indispensable guarantee his remaining forwards proceed to present erstwhile the unit increases.

Even so, the blend of method quality, tactical subject and extent astatine Enrique's disposal makes the reigning champions an highly hard broadside to dislodge.

Man City exposure imaginable cracks in Parisians dominance

Despite PSG's exceptional first-half display, the closing stages successful Manchester offered a reminder that adjacent the strongest teams tin beryllium forced onto the backmost foot.

The Citizens emerged aft the interval with greater urgency and intensity, with Haaland scoring doubly arsenic the hosts threatened to crook a seemingly hopeless contention into a genuine combat for points, portion their erstwhile manager Pep Guardiola watched from the stands.

The Premier League broadside finished with astir doubly arsenic galore shots arsenic PSG and recorded a higher xG total, showing however dramatically the equilibrium of the lucifer shifted aft half-time.

The attempted comeback volition connection encouragement to aboriginal opponents, peculiarly those susceptible of bypassing PSG's property and exploiting the abstraction near down erstwhile their defenders propulsion forward.

Enrique's broadside are astatine their astir unsafe erstwhile they dictate the tempo and unit opponents into mistakes, but they tin beryllium much susceptible erstwhile possession is mislaid and the absorption attacks rapidly into unfastened areas.

The situation for PSG's rivals volition beryllium to withstand their aboriginal unit without becoming excessively passive earlier taking vantage of immoderate antiaircraft uncertainty.

Enzo Maresca's broadside yet failed to implicit the comeback, but their effect suggests that the French outfit's pursuit of different European rubric whitethorn not beryllium arsenic straightforward arsenic their first-half show initially implied.

Arsenal, Bayern and Barcelona look a daunting challenge

Although the Parisians person established themselves arsenic the squad to bushed successful Europe, respective of their starring rivals person the prime to marque beingness uncomfortable for Enrique's side.

Arsenal are possibly the astir evident menace aft pushing PSG each the mode to a punishment shootout successful past season's Champions League final, and Mikel Arteta's men volition beryllium determined to spell 1 amended aft falling abbreviated successful Budapest, wherever Gabriel's spot-kick flew implicit the bar.

Bayern Munich besides person crushed to judge they tin compete, having been eliminated by PSG successful past season's semi-finals aft a thrilling two-legged necktie that finished 6-5 connected aggregate.

However, the German side, with imaginable Ballon d'Or victor Harry Kane starring their line, suffered a European daze the time earlier PSG's chaotic brushwood astatine the Etihad aft drawing 3-3 with Norwegian champions Viking, successful 1 of the tournament's biggest shocks truthful far.

Meanwhile, Barcelona's method prime and willingness to predominate possession could contiguous a antithetic benignant of test, peculiarly if they tin forestall PSG from dictating the tempo and turning turnovers into unsafe attacking opportunities.

However, simply matching the French champions' idiosyncratic endowment whitethorn not beryllium enough.

Their challengers volition request to harvester antiaircraft organisation with the courageousness to attack, portion remaining objective erstwhile chances get and avoiding the costly mistakes that allowed PSG to instrumentality power against City.

Wednesday's effect demonstrated some sides of the argument: PSG person the prime to overwhelm elite opposition, but Manchester City's second-half effect showed that they tin beryllium troubled.

If Enrique tin support his broadside performing astatine the level they showed earlier the break, a 3rd consecutive Champions League rubric is simply a realistic possibility, but their rivals person been fixed a reminder that the holders are not invincible.