Paris Saint-Germain vs. Manchester City: Predicted lineups, team news and Champions League score prediction

For Ligue 1 leaders, Paris Saint-Germain, the past few seasons have been dedicated to a transformation. The club's grand experiment — a quest for Champions League glory — that began with Neymar joining its ranks via his Barcelona release clause of over $230 million, never really worked out. And in the years since both he and Messi departed the club, PSG's focus has been on cultivating a younger, talented squad with room to grow.

Some familiar faces have stuck around, including Ousmane Dembélé — but Bradley Barcola, Lee Kang-In, and Gonçalo Ramos have joined the party. PSG now sit at the top of the Ligue 1 table but find themselves just outside of the playoff spots in the Champions League. Traditionally, a match involving the French giants and Pep Guardiola's Manchester City would mean firework football — both teams battling it out at the highest level. Make no mistake, PSG and Manchester City are still world-class teams. But on Wednesday, these traditionally dominant sides will be fighting just to survive.

With two wins in six games, PSG are 25th in the Champions League table, one spot out of the playoff round. While they performed well in each of those victories, against ostensibly comparable opposition — Arsenal, Atlético Madrid, and Bayern Munich — they could register only one collective goal, failing to secure even a point against any of them. There should be no doubt that PSG have the weapons to put the ball in the back of the net, and they'll certainly have chances to do so against Manchester City, who have proven to be defensively vulnerable all season. This game could hinge on whether PSG convert those chances.

Can Manchester City find new life in the Champions League?

This season has proven that Manchester City can, in fact, bleed. And they've done so more than even an optimistic opposition viewer could have imagined. Pep's side have two wins, two draws, and two losses in the Champions League. Their most gruesome day out was against — at the time — Ruben Amorim managed Sporting CP. The Portuguese side's line was led by Viktor Gyökeres who, in the course of putting on an offensive clinic while his opposite number faded away, scored a hat trick. A few weeks later, Pep was marring himself on the sidelines while Feyenoord supporters sang "You'll Never Walk Alone," their team having punched home three unanswered goals to snatch a draw from the jaws of defeat.

Ultimately, while they may be well beneath the high standard they've set for themselves, Manchester City still know how to win soccer games. And with only 1 point separating them from being eliminated, and plenty of teams — including PSG — on their tail, they'll need to make sure they do so on Wednesday. Otherwise, Pep might require a first aid kit.

Paris Saint-Germain vs. Manchester City news, predicted lineup and Champions League score

PSG have a clean bill of health going into the match. Manchester City, however, will be without defenders Nathan Ake and, most likely John Stones — even more reason for PSG to feel optimistic.

Paris Saint-Germain predicted line up: Donnarumma, Hakimi, Pacho, Hernández, Mendes, Neves, Lee, Vitinha, Barcola, Ramos, Dembélé

Manchester City predicted line up: Ederson, Nunes, Dias, Akanji, Gvardiol, De Bruyne, Kovacic, Silva, Foden, Haaland, Savinho

Predicted Score: PSG 3-1 Manchester City

How to watch Paris Saint-Germain

• Date: Wednesday, Jan. 22
• Start Time: 3:00 p.m. EST
• Location: Parc des Princes — Paris, France
• Watch: Paramount+

Kickoff for the match is 3:00 p.m. ET, on Wednesday, Jan. 22. The game will be streaming exclusively on Paramount+.