Paris (AFP)

Will Paris be stronger than the coronavirus, the camera and serial trauma? Defeated 2-1 on the way to Dortmund, PSG hopes to achieve the long-awaited feat in the knockout round of the Champions League, Wednesday (21:00 / 20:00 GMT), despite the absence of its supporters.

The equation, already complex due to the weight of Parisian disillusionment on the threshold of the European Top 8, has been enriched by two unexpected unknowns: it will be necessary to achieve the perfect European match, which has been refused at PSG since 2016, in a Parc des Princes empty and soulless. And perhaps without Kylian Mbappé, suffering from angina and absent from training ...

On the outward journey, the boosted atmosphere of the "Yellow Wall" had transcended the Dortmund players to allow them to win the first round. On their return, the French club counted on the support of its 48,000 supporters to reverse the situation during the most important meeting of its season.

The French authorities finally decided otherwise. The fault of the spread of Covid-19, which contaminated more than a thousand people on the territory according to the latest official report.

- Mbappé uncertainty, disoriented supporters -

The Parisian vice-captain Marquinhos wanted a postponement to be able to play in front of his audience? A wishful thinking impossible to achieve for UEFA, constrained by a tight schedule. What to despair the Parisian supporters ...

Result: Neymar's teammates, who will compete in his first round of 16 return from C1 in the Paris jersey, will never see the tifo and other events prepared for several weeks by the Collectif ultras Paris (CUP).

The main group of supporters, however, invited fans to meet late Wednesday afternoon around the Park, so that "the players (the) hear from outside."

In the stadium, the atmosphere promises to be "bizarre", as coach Thomas Tuchel recognized on Tuesday. "We are going to play without spectators, without supporters. In a match like this, it is super important to create a special atmosphere, to create pressure on our opponents," he lamented.

Without audiences, it will take other resources to succeed in the long-awaited great feat of the Qatari era, such as the wounded pride of a club scheduled to be the most successful thanks to its staggering investments since 2011, but which has become the laughingstock of the planet football by its propensity to scuttle in key moments.

Outclassed in Dortmund by the ardor of Erling Haaland and the tactical intelligence of Emre Can, two players recruited this winter at the price of a Leandro Paredes, PSG paid for its poor preparation between stereotypical play, based on the lightning of its individualities, and defensive block too brittle.

Main target of criticism? Parisian trainer Thomas Tuchel, author of a failed tactical bet on the outward journey. The German technician, who plays his future in the capital, is condemned to rely this time on his preferential 4-4-2.

- Dortmund is betting on "psychological advantage" -

With which players? If the identity of the starting eleven is 80% known, two major players still raise questions: Kylian Mbappé and Thiago Silva.

If the Parisian captain, engaged in a race against the clock after his muscular injury, is about to succeed in his bet, the French world champion, sick, has missed the last two training sessions.

What sow doubt about his participation? "I think he may be in the group," Tuchel hoped, without saying more.

All the best Parisian weapons will be necessary because Dortmund, for its part, continued unhindered its preparation by winning Saturday in Mönchengladbach (2-1) in the Bundesliga. Without any injuries to deplore.

Confidence is so high on every floor that Borussia boss Hans-Joachim Watzke has even allowed himself a media pressure: "For them, the world will collapse if they are eliminated. I think we have now a psychological benefit. "

With a budget almost twice lower than the PSG (377.1 against 635.9 M EUR, according to the firm Deloitte), Dortmund does not have this weight to bear.

Since its final in 2013, Borussia has even reached the quarters only once ... with Thomas Tuchel on the bench. The Parisian coach is doomed to do at least as well in his new colors to avoid a major sports crisis.

© 2020 AFP