Paris Saint-Germain and Valencia will face off in the second leg of the 2013 Champions League Round of 16 on Wednesday afternoon.
The two teams last met on Feb. 12 in a tilt that saw Paris Saint-Germain emerge victorious. Ezequiel Lavezzi (10th minute) and Javier Pastore (43rd minute) tallied for the French side, while Adil Rami scored a crucial goal in the 90th minute.
The two away goals put Paris Saint-Germain in a crucial position. They can afford a 1-0 loss or can simply play a conservative style and aim for a draw. Valencia must score two goals, but their home goal means that they can win 2-1 or 3-2 and still progress.
PSG is coming off a loss in the Ligue 1 to Reims that diminished its lead atop the table to just two points. However, manager Carlo Ancelotti does not feel the loss will affect his team's performance in the Champions League. "Maybe we are not made to play in games like these," said Ancelotti. "Perhaps we have a team designed more for Europe than the league."
His defender Maxwell seconded his opinion and added, "I don't think the defeat to Reims will be a problem because everyone is focused on Europe...This competition is very important and we will be giving everything to try and win it."
PSG will be without two major players for the tilt: leading scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marco Verratti. Both players were banned during the first leg and will not be on hand for the crucial tilt with Valencia.
Valencia has drawn in its last two matches and needs to put up a tremendous performance to make up for what has turned out to be a disappointing season.
Prediction: The teams play to a 2-2 draw.
Start Time: 2:45 PM EST
TV: Fox Soccer Channel
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