Real Sociedad hoping to stop PSG in UCL

Real Sociedad hopes that PSG’s attitude of often bowing out to Spanish opposition in round 16 of the UEFA Champions League will play out in their favor as they travel to France to face PSG.

PSG are playing the UEFA Champions League round of 16 stage for the 12th successive season, but they’ve fallen at this stage in five of their last seven Champions League campaigns, getting knocked out by Spanish opposition on three of those five occasions.

However, PSG can make better use of their home advantage as they have always done in many of their European games at Parc De Princes. They have only lost seven of their last 72 home games in Europe, winning 46 and recording 19 draws.

Real Sociedad will hope to become the first side to beat PSG at home since Nice in September in the French Ligue 1. The Spaniards have had a poor run of form and may need to do better if they want to make PSG record a sixth loss in their last 22 games at the Parc des Princes.

Real Sociedad’s last game was a 1-0 defeat to Osasuna at the weekend in La Liga, and it’s their fourth scoreless game in a row, but they have only lost one of their last four, playing 394 minutes since their last goal.

The team is playing in their first last 16 fixture in the Champions League in 20 years, going through the Champions League group stage, conceding just two goals. Aside from being the team who conceded the least goals in the UCL group stage, they also kept a clean sheet in all three of their away group-stage games, even PSG boss Luis Enrique admits it.

“Real Sociedad have a tight defence in the Champions League. They don’t give the ball away easily. We will have to press them aggressively. They are certainly one of the best teams in the competition. That is why they qualified as group winners.” Enrique said.

The fixture is the first-ever UEFA meeting between PSG, and the second leg will happen in March.

Daniel Ademiju Idowu