After 3-0 Win Over Real Madrid, PSG Now -400 Favorite to Win Champions League Group A
- French champions ran riot even without superstars Mbappe, Neymar and Cavani
- Coach Zidane under fire after poor start to critical season for Spanish giants
- PSG have under-achieved in UCL but hope things are about to change
Paris Saint-Germain are the super-rich club who have been unable to punch their weight in the Champions League. Until now, perhaps.
They made the biggest headlines of the opening week of the group stage with a 3-0 humbling of Real Madrid at the Parc Des Princes on Wednesday.
The triumph prompted a major shift in their odds to win Group A which now make them favorites at -400.
UCL 2019-20 Group A Winner Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Paris Saint-Germain | -400 |
| Real Madrid | +275 |
| Galatasaray | +4000 |
| Club Brugge | +6600 |
*Odds taken at 2019/09/20
It also raised hopes in the French capital that the team could finally make an impact in the later stages of the competition.
Troubled Real Madrid are now bottom of the group and priced at +275 to finish top after starting the week as -125 favorites with PSG rated at even-money before the opening round of fixtures. Paris look stronger this season and should now finish first.
Zidane Under Fire
Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane came in for huge criticism following the humiliation in Paris and his side’s uncertain start in Spain’s La Liga.
The win by the Parisians was achieved without the services of their entire first-choice front three – injured World Cup-winning forward Kylian Mbappe, the suspended Brazilian idol Neymar and Uruguayan star Edinson Cavani.
Zidane confessed that his team had been “outplayed in every department.”
Real Madrid would have to fork out £70MILLION to sack Zinedine Zidane after Spanish giants endure nightmare start to the season under French boss https://t.co/uUkjZpihvv
— MailOnline Sport (@MailSport) September 20, 2019
Despite their Qatari-funded wealth and their superstar roster, the French champions have been unimpressive in the UCL.
PSG were eliminated at the last 16 stage in each of the past three seasons. Prior to that, they were unsuccessful quarterfinalists for four consecutive campaigns.
So the analysts were not over-excited about the result against Madrid when it came to assessing their chances of lifting the trophy next May. Their Champions League odds had only a slight move from +930 to +900.
That reflects the fact that PSG were eliminated at the last 16 stage in each of the past three seasons. Prior to that, they were unsuccessful quarterfinalists for four consecutive campaigns.
Only once have they reached the semifinals in 1994/95.
Madrid’s price to win the trophy moved out to +830 to +1200. Neither they nor PSG will win it.
The defeat in France was a low-point for Real Madrid in an already worrying season.
Uncertain Form in La Liga
They sat third in their domestic table after four games but have been unimpressive at the start of a campaign in which they need to re-assert their power after a poor season in 2018-19.
Against PSG, they failed to have a single shot on target. This is the first time this has occurred for them since the collection of such statistics began in 2003-04.
✅ Clean sheet
✅ Convincing victory over 13-time winners💪 Thomas Tuchel says PSG have made strides since last season's Champions League disappointment
👇 #PSG #UCL #PSGRM https://t.co/DMxF14x0rf
— Sporting Life 🎯🔴🎾⛳️🥊🏏🏉 🏈 (@SportingLifeFC) September 19, 2019
PSG won their group last season – finishing ahead of eventual trophy winners Liverpool. But after a 2-0 win at Old Trafford against Manchester United in the last 16, they succumbed to a dramatic late penalty and lost 3-1 to exit in the return leg.
The Parisians signed center back Abdou Diallo, midfielders Idrissa Gueye, Ander Herrera and Pablo Sarabia and have taken forward Mauro Icardi on loan.
It is hoped that several summer additions to the already star-studded squad will increase their chances of a major advance towards the final.
The Parisians signed center back Abdou Diallo, midfielders Idrissa Gueye, Ander Herrera and Pablo Sarabia and have taken forward Mauro Icardi on loan. However, they lost veteran Dani Alves and midfielder Adrien Rabiot.
In the UCL, Real next meet Belgium’s Club Brugge at home on October 1 at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, at 12:55 pm EST.
PSG are away at Galatasaray on the same day at Turk Telekom Stadi, at 3:00 pm EST.
Pick: Paris Saint-Germain -400
John Dillon is a leading member of the UK's sporting media, having spent three decades as a national newspaper soccer and sports writer, broadcaster and author. He has covered five World Cups, six European Championships and was Chief Sports Writer at the Daily Express for 14 years.
