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A stunning run of form that prepares Paris Saint-Germain for their mouthwatering last-16 showdown with Liverpool has overshadowed the doubts about Paris Saint-Germain’s ability to remain a force in the Champions League.

At the end of last year, coach Luis Enrique said, “We will need to replace him with the team as a whole, and with four, five, or six new signings.” He then said, “We will need to replace him with the team as a whole, and with four, five, or six new signings.”

In Luis Enrique’s first season in charge, the Qatar-owned club had just doubled its French league and cup winning total with Mbappe scoring 44 goals in its first season.

With the departure of the France captain, PSG made significant financial investments in signing Matvey Safonov, Desire Doue, Desire Doue, Willian Pacho, and Joao Neves.

However, they struggled in Europe while Randal Kolo Muani fell out of favor, so the decision to not employ a proven goal-scorer appeared to be backfiring.

In their first five Champions League games this year, PSG found the net just three times as a result of defeats against Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, and Arsenal in the knockout phase.

The statistics speak for themselves, but their performance over the past three months has been sensational.

PSG has won 22 games in all competitions since their 1-0 defeat to Bayern on November 26.

In the run-up to their fifth Champions League game, they have won 21 goals, 10 of which came against Brest in the play-off round.

Their 10th straight victory at home to Lille on Saturday marked their 10th straight victory in all competitions and kept them domestically unbeaten this year.

When faced with France’s other remaining Champions League representatives, L’Equipe described that display as “absolutely ruthless, at times magnificent.”

People who have followed the club’s development over the years since the transformative Qatari takeover of 2011 are now questioning whether the current PSG team is the best they have ever seen. Paris were outstanding in the first half of that game, particularly.

Given the players who have represented the club during that time, from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Mbappe to Lionel Messi and Neymar, that would be a strong claim.

Marquinhos, the club’s captain since 2013, said, “We are in great form, it’s all systems go.

“The collective is what we really rely on,” he said. It has been a long time. We’ve made significant progress. However, there are still areas that need improvement.

READ MORE: &nbsp: Man Utd crashes out of FA Cup after Fulham wins the shootout.

Chokers no longer exist?

Ousmane Dembele has evolved from a thrilling winger but a sluggish finisher to one of the most technically advanced forwards in the world.

Since mid-December, he has made 26 starts in the middle, with 21 of those goals coming in 16 games.

He only scored six goals last season while assisting Mbappe. Bradley Barcola, on the other hand, has now scored 17 goals overall this season compared to five last year.

Who will finish the front three at kick-off in Wednesday’s first leg at the Parc des Princes is the only thing that can hold back a settled side and a fully-fit squad.

So Doue might get the nod because Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is still settling in after arriving from Napoli in January.

The 19-year-old winger, who can play midfield, possesses a Neymar-like quality and has scored or set up 16 goals overall since mid-December.

Luis Enrique, who described the team as having a “good spell,” is as cautious as any other Liverpool fan. They represent a significant improvement over any other team PSG has faced in recent months.

PSG has frequently failed in significant Champions League contests over the past ten years, but might change this time when they face a team that finished first in the league phase?

It’s not in our minds to try to defend ourselves, or be defensive, Luis Enrique said, “We are going to be playing against the best team in Europe, who qualified brilliantly.”

“We will attack and try to make our way,” the player declares.

Former UEFA head Michel Platini claimed that FIFA “owed” him the two million Swiss francs ($2.2 million) at the center of the case on Monday in a Swiss appeals court, where his conviction on fraud charges is being looked into.

At the start of his hearing, the French three-time Ballon d’Or winner said, “I still don’t understand why the public prosecutor’s office is picking on me.”

The attorney general’s office (OAG) is hearing a request from the special appeals court in Muttenz, near Basel, to reopen proceedings against the 69-year-old Platini and former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who turns 89 on March 10.

Blatter resigned as FIFA’s head in 2015 amid a corruption crisis, sparking a legal saga that has persisted for a while. Due to the delayed payment of two million Swiss francs, Platini, who served as UEFA’s president from 2007 to 2015, received in 2011 for consulting services.

In June 2022, the Swiss Federal Court found the pair innocent on charges including “forgery of securities,” “breach of trust,” and “disloyal management.”

The Federal Court gave them the benefit of the doubt because it found that fraud had been “not established with a likelihood that bordered on certainty.”

Platini, who was questioned in court on Monday, claimed he was surprised when Blatter first asked him what his expectations were for a salary after assisting him in winning the 1998 presidential election.

Platini said, “As I didn’t know this world, the world of FIFA,” “I randomly said “one million.”

“He asked me to spend “one million dollars”,” he said. ‘. One million of whatever you want: lires, pesetas, and roubles, I joked a little. And Mr. Blatter uttered the phrase “one million Swiss francs.”

Blatter allegedly told Platini in 1999 that he could not afford to pay him the million because they had already reached a written agreement for 300,000 Swiss francs.

Platini said, “I’ll give you the balance when we have money at FIFA,” “,”

The public prosecutor correctly identified his 2011 invoice as a “false invoice” meant to defraud the organization.

Platini resisted FIFA’s failure to pay the invoice and to file a lawsuit.

He said, “A word is a word, and a contract is a word.” “I owe FIFA money to me, and I would have done anything to get it back.”

Diego Simeone, coach of Atletico Madrid, acknowledged Real Madrid’s rich history but praised his own team’s performance ahead of Tuesday’s spectacular Champions League last-16 game.

Los Blancos, who have already lost four matches in less than a decade, host Simeone’s side in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu. The record 15-time champions face Simeone’s side.

Real Madrid defeated Atletico Simeone in the Champions League finals of 2014 and 2016, as well as the semi-finals of 2017 and the 2015 quarters, and on the only other occasion have they met in the competition, in the semis of 1959.

Also READ: FA Cup Quarters For Man City And Bournemouth

Barcelona, Barcelona’s biggest club, has never won the Champions League, finishing third in three of its four matches, while Madrid are regarded as the “kings of Europe” and Barcelona, a Catalan giant, have won the trophy five times.

Nothing has changed since Simeone told reporters on Monday, adding that “I always put Real Madrid and Barcelona where they are because of their history.”

We are pure growth, which is very nice, and they both have a fantastic history. ”

The team had the opportunity to write a new story at the Bernabeu, according to the coach.

Real Madrid’s Champions League history is extraordinary, and we have a great opportunity tomorrow, Simeone said, “As we always relate situations to history, and history exists, that is how we always relate them to,” Simeone continued.

The big two of Spain’s top teams are competing for the title in La Liga, and Atletico is currently second, one point behind Barca, and two ahead of Los Blancos.

In Simeone’s opinion, their intense domestic conflict will not be affected by their European partnership.

The coach said, “I respect a game with a lot of respect when we play against a great opponent,” adding that they also respect us.

Because this is the Champions League, I believe all of the previous games will have no impact.

It would not be possible for us to play against a team outside of our league, according to the mayor of Atletico. ”

In Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final draw, Manchester City faced tough opposition from Bournemouth, while Aston Villa travel to second-place Preston.

A home tie between Fulham and Crystal Palace is the reward for Fulham’s penalty-winning victory over holders Manchester United.

After extra time on Sunday, Brighton defeated Newcastle 2-1 to take on Nottingham Forest and Ipswich, who had a game before.

In a difficult season for Pep Guardiola’s side, City has only a chance to win the FA Cup.

The Premier League’s top two clubs, Liverpool and Arsenal, have already lost to City as favorites for the title.

However, they fell behind by one point on their Premier League trip to Bournemouth earlier in the season, falling just four points behind them.

READ MORE: Man Utd crashes out of the FA Cup following Fulham’s shootout victory.

Fixtures for the Quarter-End

Crystal Palace vs. Fulham

Aston Villa vs. Preston

Manchester City vs. Bournemouth

Ipswich or Brighton face Nottingham Forest at home?

On March 29 and 30, ties will be played.