Tuchel is not untouchable
PSG v Nice
Saturday, 16:00
Live on Betfair Live Video
All is not well in Paris. One win in six is not what you expect from PSG even within the context of the Ligue 1 title being decided a fortnight ago.
Last weekend’s collapse in the Coupe de France final has increased the scrutiny on Thomas Tuchel. PSG threw away a 2-0 lead and lost on penalties to Rennes in calamitous circumstances. Usually this sort of stuff only happens to the Parisiens in the Champions League and over two legs, not in the space of 120 minutes in a domestic competition.
Injuries and ill-discipline have brought the shallowness of the squad to the fore again. But the attitude and culture within the team feels off. Tuchel’s issues managing up – which were his undoing at Dortmund – are manifesting themselves again. Unhappy with the recruitment, things have generally soured in recent weeks.
Losing 5-1 to Lille, 3-2 to Nantes and then 3-2 to Montpellier this midweek will do that for you. L’Equipe report his half-time team talk in the Nantes defeat did not go down well either and PSG’s decision to hand him a sizeable pay-rise and extend his contract after the Champions League exit to Manchester United is subject to criticism.
You wonder if Nice can capitalise, particularly if the disciplinary commission suspends Kylian Mbappe and Neymar for Saturday’s game at the Parc des Princes. Snapping out of this funk does not look easy for PSG. Patrick Vieira’s side are worth consideration on Double Chance @ [4.5].
Is the Bundesliga title race over?
Werder Bremen v Borussia Dortmund
Saturday, 17:30
Live on BT Sport Extra 4
Dortmund’s 4-2 loss to Schalke at Signal Iduna Park last weekend underlined that this young team isn’t mature enough to handle the pressure of a close title race. Afterwards Lucien Favre conceded defeat to Bayern even though the league leaders would later drop points to Nurnberg, leaving the Black and Yellows still in with a chance of lifting the Meisterschale.
The gap is still only two points and perhaps all Favre is doing is shifting the burden of expectation away from his team in the hope they will perform better at a time when everyone has lost faith in them. Alternatively, it could just be a realistic and honest assessment of where Dortmund are at right now. They have won only two of their last six Bundesliga games and their record in 2019 ranks as the fifth best in Germany.
The defensive side of their game has not been good enough, in part, because of a mounting injury list over the spring and the uncertainty they allowed to creep into Dortmund’s game. In terms of goals conceded, BVB are 10th this calendar year. Winning the title is always going to be hard when you’re that porous.
On Saturday, Dortmund go to Werder Bremen with the intention of showing ain’t over until it’s over. The trouble is Marco Reus is suspended after his red card in the Revier Derby and Bremen aren’t bad.
Florian Kohfeldt’s side are unbeaten in eight league games at the Weser Stadium and knocked Dortmund out the cup in February. They need to win to keep their Europa League dreams alive and have a tough run-in with Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig up next. Take the draw @ [3.9].
Milan in crisis
AC Milan v Bologna
Monday, 19:30
Live on Premier 1 and Betfair Live Video
Milan are imploding at precisely the wrong time. Since losing the derby in March, Rino Gattuso’s side have been in a tail-spin. They have fallen from third to seventh and risk missing out on Champions League football for another year.
Last weekend’s 2-0 defeat to Torino was a costly one in that it came against a rival for a top four finish. Alessio Romagnoli’s red card was bad enough, a sign that nerves are getting to this Milan team. The captain will miss Monday’s game against Bologna through suspension. But the news Tiemoue Bakayoko was more than an hour late for training on Wednesday added insult to injury.
Some have expressed surprised at Gattuso’s decision to punish the entire team. They will spend the rest of the week living at Milanello in a bid to resolve their issues and ensure their focus is right for Monday’s game at San Siro.
Milan’s record is the 16th best in the league since their 3-2 defeat to Inter six weeks ago. Only Chievo, Fiorentina and Genoa have scored fewer goals in that timeframe. Bologna, by contrast, are the league’s in-form team. No one has picked up more points over the last eight games.
It has been a remarkable turnaround under Sinisa Mihajlovic. Practically safe, they won at San Siro in his first game – defeating Inter – and will be confident of dispatching a Milan side whose morale is on the floor.
Gattuso shocked everyone last week by being so honest in his press conference before the Torino game. He said the team lacked spirit and there is no longer the same enthusiasm around the training ground as from January through mid-March. Milan’s season has unravelled. Take Bologna @ [5.6].
Source: BetFair French
