Published 07:55 IST, August 12th 2020
MATCHDAY: PSG-Atalanta in 1st Champions League quarterfinal
Atalanta's first season in the Champions League began with three group-stage losses. The northern Italian side fought back to advance to the knockout phase and now finds itself two wins from the final as Italy's sole remaining representative
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A look at the first of the Champions League quarterfinals between Paris Saint-Germain and Atalanta on Wednesday.
Atalanta's first season in the Champions League began with three group-stage losses. The northern Italian side fought back to advance to the knockout phase and now finds itself two wins from the final as Italy's sole remaining representative. The reconfigured final-eight format means there's only one match on neutral territory at Benfica against PSG rather two legs home and away. It looks like a mismatch, with the French treble winner's revenue and wage bill far exceeding Atalanta's budget. But Atalanta was Serie A's highest-scoring team in a run to a second consecutive third-place finish. Josip Ilicic, who scored five goals across the two last-16 games against Valencia, hasn't traveled to Lisbon for personal reasons. PSG is set to be missing forward Kylian Mbappé from the starting lineup as he has been recovering from an ankle injury.
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TOP SCORER
Paris Saint-Germain: Kylian Mbappé (30 in all competitions).
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Atalanta: Josip Iličić (21).
KEY PLAYMAKER
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Paris Saint-Germain: Ángel Di María (14 assists).
Atalanta: Alejandro “Papu” Gomez (18).
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TOP DEFENDER
Paris Saint-Germain: Thiago Silva.
Atalanta: Berat Djimsiti.
DOMESTIC FINISH
Paris Saint-Germain: Ligue (1st), French Cup (winners), League Cup (winners).
Atalanta: Serie A (3rd), Italian Cup (last 16).
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE BEST
Paris Saint-Germain: Semifinals (1995).
Atalanta: Debut.
REVENUE
Paris Saint-Germain: 637.8 million euros.
Atalanta: 188.6 million euros.
WAGE BILL
Paris Saint-Germain: 337 million euros.
Atalanta: 50.9 million for players.
Image credits: AP
07:55 IST, August 12th 2020