A frustrating loss in Lisbon drops PSG, but their +10 goal difference could salvage a top-8 Champions League spot.
Leaning 2-1 in Lisbon on Tuesday night, Paris Saint-Germain let slip three precious points and lost two places in the standings. It could, however, be 8th as early as tonight, or even lower, even if its very favorable goal difference works in its favor.
After a match it largely dominated, PSG left Lisbon frustrated on Tuesday night and with 0 additional points. PSG had 13 before the start of this Champions League Matchday 7 and occupied 3rd place in the standings. This Wednesday morning, PSG is 5th since Tottenham, which beat Dortmund 2-0, moved ahead of it, as did Real Madrid, which crushed AS Monaco 6-1. PSG could even have been 6th if Manchester City had not lost, to general surprise, at Bodø/Glimt (3-1).
PSG Could Fall as Low as 11th After Matchday 7 Concludes
This Wednesday night, PSG could still lose three places in the standings if Atalanta Bergamo (13 points currently) does not lose at home to Bilbao, if Liverpool (12 points) beats OM at the Vélodrome, and if Atlético Madrid (12 points) wins at Galatasaray.
,Three other teams can also join PSG tonight in terms of points in case of a victory: Chelsea, which hosts Pafos, Newcastle, which hosts PSV, and FC Barcelona, which travels to Prague. If Chelsea, Newcastle, and Barça win tonight, they will all have 13 points like PSG, but to move ahead of the Parisians as early as tonight, these teams would need to win by a huge margin.
PSG indeed has a very good goal difference of +10, the 4th best in the competition, and Chelsea (+5), Newcastle (+7), and Barça (+3) will have to win by huge scores tonight to hope to move ahead of PSG. The Top 8 is therefore in danger, but still largely achievable for PSG.
PSG will be between 5th and 11th place tonight, but they will likely be 8th at worst and possibly 6th or 7th since Liverpool has not yet won in Marseille and Atlético is far from having won in Galatasaray. It's also not certain that Chelsea wins by a 6-goal margin against Pafos and that Newcastle demolishes PSV.
So see you this Wednesday night to know PSG's position in the standings after Matchday 7. One matchday will then remain to be played next week, with the team of Luis Enrique hosting Newcastle, which will be a direct opponent in view of the Top 8 if it wins tonight. It should be noted that PSG is already mathematically assured of at least being in the play-off round.
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