Man Utd v Paris St-Germain: ‘I watched PSG crumble and I don’t think they’ve ever recovered’

Barcelona and Real Madrid had the aura, experience and belief to kill off PSG. Far from galvanising them into causing an upset, the Parisians imploded under the pressure two years in a row.

As they face another verified European heavyweight in Manchester United – without their injured talisman Neymar – you wonder if history will repeat itself again.

The idea of facing an unconvincing United under Jose Mourinho went down well in Paris. The thought of overhauling a rejuvenated United under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is an altogether different prospect.

There are no easy games at this phase of the competition, but these two legs against United could prove a huge test of PSG’s mental resolve under new boss Thomas Tuchel.

The owners are on a mission for European glory, but it must be remembered that success on this stage doesn’t come overnight either.

Chelsea won the trophy in 2012, nine years after Roman Abramovich poured his millions into the club. Manchester City are another example of a big club with new money who are facing similar hurdles. With that in mind, PSG are largely on track, in terms of time.

With World Cup experience under the belt for many, it will be fascinating to see whether this group of players have mastered the ‘sangfroid’ needed to survive the heat of a European battle, or if it will be another case of stage fright at their latest audition.