UCL Round of 16, Leg 1: PSG vs Sociedad Odds
Intriguing Knockout Stage Matchup
Mbappe Rested and Ready for Wednesday’s Match
Ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League round of 16 match vs Real Sociedad, Paris Saint-Germain coach Jose Enrique rested Kylian Mbappe for Saturday’s win over Lille. It proved to be a good decision, as PSG defeated Lille 3-1. The Parisians are flying at the moment, with a healthy lead at the top of the table.
Meanwhile, Real Sociedad coach Imanol Alguacil also rested some key Champions League players for Saturday’s match vs Osasuna. However, Sociedad fell 1-0 at home and will look to bounce back on Wednesday when they head to Paris. Ahead of this first leg UCL round of 16 matchup, we’ll preview the PSG vs Sociedad odds.
Paris Saint-Germain vs Real Sociedad
Day/Time:
Location: Parc des Princes, Paris, France
PSG vs Sociedad Head-to-Head
This is the first time Paris Saint-Germain and Real Sociedad are facing off on the UEFA Champions League schedule. In fact, this is the first time the two sides have met in any competition.
Sociedad have only met French opposition once in the last ten years and they drew and lost to Monaco in the 2021-22 Europa League group stage. Meanwhile, PSG have lost just one of their last six UCL matches vs Spanish opposition.
PSG Survive Group of Death
It was immediately clear after the group stage UCL draw that Group F was the “Group of Death”. Only two of Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Newcastle United could qualify for the knockout stage.
PSG just barely managed to qualify for the round of 16, as they finished level on eight points with AC Milan. The Parisians advanced based on a superior head-to-head goal difference vs the Rossoneri. In a brutal group, PSG managed to go 2-2-2 but didn’t win any of their last three games.
On the other hand, their form has been superb domestically. PSG are on a 20 game unbeaten run vs French opposition and look well on their way to another Ligue 1 title. On Saturday, Luis Enrique rested Mbappe, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Marquinhos ahead of Wednesday’s match.
PSG still managed to defeat Lille 3-1 with big contributions from Ousmane Dembele, Goncalo Ramos, Randal Kolo Muani and Bradley Barcola. Mbappe, who led PSG with three UCL group stage goals, should be well rested for the game vs Sociedad. Warren Zaire-Emery, who provided three assists in the UCL group stage, also started on the bench on Saturday.
While PSG have never won a Champions League before, they do have plenty of knockout stage experience. As far as their potential draws could have gone, they certainly got one of the more favorable ones.
Milan Skriniar, Presnel Kimpembe, and Nuno Mendes are injured here, while January signing Lucas Beraldo could make his Champions League debut. The PSG vs Sociedad odds currently list the hosts as -160 favorites for the first leg.
Oyarzabal Doubtful for Sociedad
Real Sociedad outshot Osasuna 21-9 on Saturday but it certainly didn’t show up on the scoresheet. The Txuri-Urdin fell 1-0 to Osasuna at home as Ante Budimir’s second half header was the difference.
Sociedad coach Alguacil started with Hamari Traore, Ander Barrenetxea, Brais Mendez and Robin Le Normand on the bench and it made a difference. The four should all start on Wednesday but Mikel Oyarzabal’s status is murky.
Oyarzabal, Sociedad’s captain, is their leading scorer in La Liga and he found the net twice in the group stage. He missed Saturday’s match vs Osasuna due to an injury and Alguacil said that he’s still feeling a lot of discomfort. He could be a game-time decision for Wednesday’s match and his presence would boost Sociedad’s hopes.
Either way, Sociedad have not scored a goal in any of their last four matches, in all competitions. Yet they’ve only lost one of those matches, as Sociedad’s defense is rather strong. In the group stage, Sociedad to keep a clean sheet was one of the Champions League’s best bets, as they did it in four of their six matches. Along with Oyarzabal, Alvaro Odriozola, Sheraldo Becker, Kieran Tierney, Aihen Muñoz and Carlos Fernandez are injured.
PSG vs Sociedad Match Analysis & Odds
Bettors should note that PSG have scored at least two goals in each of their last nine fixtures. They’ve been firing on all cylinders, especially when Mbappe plays.
PSG have suffered plenty of disappointments in the Champions League but this is a golden opportunity for them to advance to the Quarter-final. Real Sociedad are a tough UCL team to beat but offense is always a question with them.
At the moment, the PSG vs Sociedad odds price the Parisians as -145 favorites. Meanwhile, bettors can take Sociedad at +455 odds, who are appearing in the round of 16 for the first time since 2004.
That year, they fell 1-0 to Lyon in both legs. They’ve appeared in the knockout stage of European competition four previous times in the past decade and didn’t advance from a single fixture.
Still, Sociedad +1 comes in at -130 odds for this one, while PSG -1 sits at +110. A draw is priced at +280 odds as well while both over and under 2.5 goals come in at -110. Big players show up in big games and watch out for the likes of Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Randal Kolo Muani.
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