Kylian Mbappe's Revans Cycle Threat

If he can help PSG qualify for the Champions League final this season, Kylian Mbappe deserves to be considered a legend of "Les Parisiens".

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The players of Paris Saint-Germain, PSG advisor Luis Campos, and PSG President Nasser al-Khelafi arrived at the PSG club training facility in Poissy, west of Paris, France, on Monday (6/5/2024), to prepare for the second semi-final match of the Champions League between PSG and Borussia Dortmund.

PARIS, MONDAY — Kylian Mbappe is Paris Saint-Germain's main hope of overturning a 0-1 aggregate deficit to Borussia Dortmund in the second match Champions League semifinals, Wednesday (8/5/2024) at 02.00 WIB, at the Parc des Princes Stadium, Paris. The 25 year old striker is motivated to recover from his poor performance in Germany.

Similar to the quarter-final game against Barcelona, ​​Mbappe failed to shine in the first match at Signal Iduna Park. A record of 52 touches shows Mbappe isolated in the Dortmund defense zone. He was the outfield player from both teams who played the full 90 minutes with the lowest number of ball touches.

Mbappe was less determined to beat the Dortmund defense than his teammate, Ousmane Dembele, who was the only PSG forward to perform well last week. “Les Parisiens” attack line relies heavily on Dembele's feet thanks to a collection of 82 touches.

Apart from that, Mbappe seemed to be outshone by two Dortmund players, namely central striker Niclas Fuellkrug, who scored the lone goal of the match, and winger Jadon Sancho. The player on loan from Manchester United recorded 100 touches, making him the player with the most ball possession for "Die Borussen".

Also read: Dortmund's Impossible Mission to Silence Mbappe

Not only that, Sancho recorded 13 take-ons or successful dribbles. It was the best successful dribble record in the Champions League this season.

Mbappe is optimistic about being able to deliver a much better performance and help PSG earn a victory to advance to the final match at Wembley Stadium in London, England. The number seven striker, along with his teammates, will face the second game against Dortmund in a more fit condition.

The reason is that the Les Parisiens squad has had a week of preparation time for the match against Dortmund in Paris. On Sunday (5/5/2024), Mbappe enjoyed his vacation time by attending a leisurely running event in Paris that was part of the Paris 2024 Olympic campaign. The event was organized by his non-profit foundation, the KM Foundation, as well as Nike, his private sports sponsor.

”I heard the children here shouting that I must win (against Dortmund). Of course I will do that. "I will come to the match feeling good and ready to defend my team's colors in order to qualify for the final," said Mbappe on the sidelines of the event as quoted by Le Parisien Monday edition (6/5/2024).

Also read: Champions League Trophy, Mbappe's Dream Farewell Gift

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Paris Saint-Germain attacker Kylian Mbappe participated in a training session at PSG's training facility in Poissy, west of Paris, France, on Monday (5/6/2024), in preparation for the second leg of the Champions League semifinal match between PSG and Borussia Dortmund.

The player who has brought the sixth French League title to PSG is aware of the great burden on his shoulders to bring his team to reverse the aggregate score. Although he has to help his team at least score two goals, Mbappe does not consider it as a negative pressure on himself.

"Pressure is normal because there is a spot in the final of the Champions League that is being contested. Moreover, knowing the club's ability in this competition, it is not a problem," said Mbappe who has scored eight goals in Europe this season.

I heard the kids here shouting I have to win (against Dortmund). Of course I will do that.

"We are very aware of the burden and expectations, but all members of the team already understand the task that we must carry out well. We are confident that we can surpass the score and perform in the final," he said.

Confidence is rooted in a strong foundation. Mbappe has experience scoring goals against Dortmund in Paris when the two teams clashed in the group stage this season.

Also read: PSG's Confidence Results in Smiles in Barcelona

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The players of Paris Saint-Germain underwent a training session at the PSG club training facility in Poissy, west of Paris, France, on Monday (6/5/2024) in preparation for the second semi-final match of the Champions League between PSG and Borussia Dortmund.

In addition, Mbappe is currently delivering his best performance in the knock-out stage of the Champions League. He has scored five goals against Spanish duo Real Sociedad and Barcelona in the round of 16 and quarterfinals.

Supporter support

PSG Coach Luis Enrique also said the same thing. The Spanish tactician has given his squad intense training to focus on preparing for all scenarios to face Dortmund in front of the support of his own supporters.

Enrique assessed that the match in the first game was balanced, but Dortmund was able to take the lead due to the support of the supporters. This cannot be separated from the influence of thousands of fans in the southern stands called the "yellow wall" or yellow wall. Supporters in the corners of the stands gave chants and songs of support non-stop for 90 minutes.

"In the second match, the advantage is on our side because we are playing at home. We have supporters on our side who will lift the players' performance," said Enrique as quoted by UEFA's website.

Also read: Enjoy the Noise ”Yellow Wall” Dortmund

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Paris Saint-Germain defender Milan Skriniar and other PSG players participated in a training session at PSG's training facility in Poissy, west of Paris, France, on Monday (May 6, 2024), in preparation for the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals between PSG and Borussia Dortmund.

Enrique's major task is to dismantle Dortmund's tight defense and discipline. Dortmund's goalkeeper, Grebor Kobel, is the goalkeeper with the best clean sheet record in this season's Champions League. Of the 11 games played, Kobel has managed to keep a clean sheet in five matches.

In the first match in Germany, Enrique received the antithesis of Dortmund's defensive tactics which were very tight and disciplined after the break. PSG only recorded expected goals (xG) 0.1 in the first half. When making tactical changes in the second half, they collected an increase in xG to 0.7.

"To win, of course, we must play much more effectively than we did at Dortmund's home ground," said Enrique, who has the chance to lead his team to a second Champions League final as a coach. Previously, Enrique led Barcelona to become European champions in the 2014-2015 season.

Dortmund coach Edin Terzic does not want to waste his team's advantage on the visit to Paris. The flexibility of Dortmund's formation in situations with the ball and without the ball is the recipe for them being able to beat PSG in the first match.

Also read: Eliminate Atletico, Dortmund Ready to "Rematch" Against PSG in the Champions League Semifinals

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The players of Paris Saint-Germain underwent a training session at the PSG club training facility in Poissy, west of Paris, France, on Monday (6/5/2024) in preparation for the second semi-final match of the Champions League between PSG and Borussia Dortmund.

Dortmund built an attack with a 4-1-2-3 formation, then defended with standard 4-2-3-1 tactics. The combination of individual winger skill, like Sancho, with accurate long passes will again be Die Borussen's recipe for causing disaster to PSG.

”We have good emotional and physical fitness ahead of the important match against PSG. "A draw is enough for us, but we don't want to be lulled by profits and keep thinking about winning," said Terzic as reported by Kicker.