Match preview: United v Paris Saint-Germain

The Reds are flying high in Europe with three wins from four so far and currently top Group H, with PSG and German side RB Leipzig just behind in a close race for the knockout stages of the tournament.

The Reds will also be hoping to extend our winning run in all competitions which now stretches to four games.

Ahead of the huge European clash, we’re detailing all the need-to-know information.

ESSENTIAL INFO
Kick-off at Old Trafford will take place at 20:00 GMT on Wednesday and fans in the UK can watch the game live on BT Sport. Supporters can also follow our rolling updates on ManUtd.com and our Official App, while MUTV will provide live build-up, radio commentary and reaction to the match. The channel will also show a rerun of the full game the following day.

GROUP PERMUTATIONS
If United win or draw against PSG we will qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League, given our superior head-to-head record against the Parisians, and the fact Istanbul Basaksehir cannot overtake us in the table.However, a loss against Thomas Tuchel’s men means we would need to get a result in our final game of the group against RB Leipzig. It’s also worth noting that the side who finish top of the four-team table should, in theory, be given a more favourable draw in the next round, so it’s crucial to try and take as many points as possible from our remaining two games.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RECORD IN 2020/21
The Reds have saved some of our most potent performances for Europe this season, and have won three of our four matches in the group so far. The only blot on a record that includes an away win in Paris and a comprehensive 5-0 victory against Leipzig, was a 2-1 loss to Basaksehir. We sit top of the group on nine points from a possible 12.

On the other hand, PSG have lost to United and Leipzig, but victories over Istanbul and in the return meeting with Leipzig means they sit second in the group.

TEAM NEWS
Ole could be without David De Gea for this clash after the Spaniard was replaced at half-time in the victory over Southampton. Alex Telles also was withdrawn early and appeared to be holding his groin in the final minutes of the match. Anthony Martial is also a doubt for this one as he missed our last game through illness, while Eric Bailly, Jesse Lingard and Paul Pogba are expected to miss out with respective injuries. As usual, the boss will provide the latest team news in Tuesday’s pre-match press conference.

Thomas Tuchel could do likewise when he faces the media later that afternoon. Keylor Navas, Layvin Kurzawa and Marquinhos all sat out the 2-2 draw with Bordeaux at the weekend, but could return for the trip to Old Trafford. However, the match is likely to come too quickly for Julian Draxler, who has a thigh problem, while Juan Bernat will certainly be unavailable.

OUR RECORD AGAINST PSG
We’ve only played the side from the French capital three times in our history, winning on two of those occasions - including that memorable night in 2019, when we overturned a first-leg deficit to storm into the quarter-finals of the Champions League thanks to a 3-1 win at the Parc des Princes. Against French sides in general, we have a very good record, losing only three times in 31 matches.

WHO’S THEIR MANAGER?
German Thomas Tuchel is a manager with great pedigree. He began his career at Augsburg II, before moving to Mainz and then Borussia Dortmund, were he guided the club to the DFB-Pokal in 2017. Tuchel is in his third year at PSG and he has won six trophies at the French giants, while last season he guided the club to their first-ever Champions League final, which they lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich in August.

OPPOSITION KEY MAN
Always the star whenever he’s on the pitch, Neymar has been in particularly good form this season. The forward has registered seven goal involvements in nine games so far, including the only goal in PSG’s crucial win against Leipzig in their last Champions League outing. However, on a pitch with Kylian Mbappe and former United man Angel Di Maria, the Brazilian is certainly not the only threat in the French outfit.

MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Daniele Orsato
Assistant referees: Alessandro Giallatini & Fabiano Preti
Fourth official: Daniele Doveri
Video assistant referee: Marco Guida
Assistant video assistant referee: Marco Di Bello

RIVALS WATCH
All four English sides are in action in the Champions League across two nights of action. Elsewhere in Group H, Istanbul Basaksehir and RB Leipzig face one another in Turkey. Here’s the full list of matches from the fifth round of Champions League fixtures…

TUESDAY 1 DECEMBER

Group A
Lokomotiv Moscow v Salzburg (17:55 GMT)
Atletico Madrid v Bayern Munich

Group B
Shakhtar Donetsk v Real Madrid (17:55 GMT)
Borussia Monchengladbach v Internazionale

Group C
Marseille v Olympiacos
Porto v Manchester City

Group D
Liverpool v Ajax
Atalanta v Midtjyllan

WEDNESDAY 2 DECEMBER

Group E
Krasnodar v Rennes (17:55 GMT)
Sevilla v Chelsea

Group F
Borussia Dortmund v Lazio
Club Brugge v Zenit St Petersburg

Group G
Juventus v Dynamo Kiev
Ferencvaros v Barcelona

Group H
Istanbul Basaksehir v RB Leipzig (17:55 GMT)
UNITED v Paris Saint-Germain

*All games start at 20:00 GMT unless stated otherwise.