UEFA Champions League preview: Paris Saint-Germain vs. RB Leipzig
Josh McNally
Emil Forsburg #10 of RB Leipzig shoots the ball in the UEFA Champions League Group H game against Paris Saint-Germain at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, Germany, November 4, 2020. /Reuters

Emil Forsburg #10 of RB Leipzig shoots the ball in the UEFA Champions League Group H game against Paris Saint-Germain at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, Germany, November 4, 2020. /Reuters

After an eventful international break, the UEFA Champions League returns for the second legs of the group stage. Everyone will be pleased about the return of competitive club football in Europe, besides for one man, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) boss Thomas Tuchel.

Tonight at the Parc des Princes, PSG are rematching with the once-Bundesliga leaders, now fourth place team, Red Bull (RB) Leipzig. In their last outing on November 4, the German side won with a convincing 2-1. Angel di Maria gave PSG an early lead but, as they are known to do, the Parisian's crumbled under pressure and Julian Nagelsmann's side got a brace in the second half.

Players of AS Monaco celebrate scoring the winner in their 3-2 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the Ligue 1 game at the Stade Louis II in Monaco, November 20, 2020. /CFP

Players of AS Monaco celebrate scoring the winner in their 3-2 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the Ligue 1 game at the Stade Louis II in Monaco, November 20, 2020. /CFP

In the intervening two weeks, Tuchel had probably made all sorts of tactical adjustments while members of his squad played in international qualifiers and friendlies – and then one Friday, in their first Ligue 1 game back, his side lost 3-2 to Monaco in the exact same fashion as a 2-0 lead was wiped out in the second half by goals from Kevin Volland and 33-year-old Cesc Fabregas.

PSG has been plagued by injuries. Kylian Mbappe is back fighting fit and Neymar got back into the swing of things with a quick half hour against Monaco but, in tonight's clash, Tuchel will still be missing some of his key midfielders as – going from back to front – a potential spine of Thilo Kehrer, Marco Veratti, Julian Draxler and Mauro Icardi are out with injuries. Idrissa Gueye and Presnel Kimpembe are unavailable due to suspensions also, meaning this is likely to be another makeshift team supporting PSG's superstar strikers.

Yussuf Poulsen (C) of Red Bull Leipzig celebrates after scoring his side's only goal in their 1-1 draw against Eintract Frankfurt in the Bundesliga game at the Commerzbank-Arena in Frankfurt, Germany, November 21, 2020. /Reuters

Yussuf Poulsen (C) of Red Bull Leipzig celebrates after scoring his side's only goal in their 1-1 draw against Eintract Frankfurt in the Bundesliga game at the Commerzbank-Arena in Frankfurt, Germany, November 21, 2020. /Reuters

As for Leipzig, save for the Halloween fright of back-to-back losses – 5-0 to Manchester United in Europe, 1-0 to Borussia Monchengladbach domestically – they have been unbeatable and are only no longer on the top spot of the Bundesliga by a meagre three points. Coming into this game on the back of a hard fought 1-1 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt won't give the German side too much confidence but besides for center-back Lukas Klostermann out with a knee injury and Hee-chan Hwang testing positive for the coronavirus, Nagelsmann will be able to field his typical winning eleven.

As home advantages are moot due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Parc des Princes isn't the fortress it has come to be in recent years. PSG do, on paper, still have the stronger team, but their 3-0 win over RB Leipzig in last year's tournament may as well be a lifetime ago and the German side will go into this knowing they have won more recently and, if they saw the Monaco game, know they can win again if they push the pace.