18 August,2020 08:47 AM IST | Lisbon | AP
PSG star Neymar
The similarities between Paris Saint-Germain and Leipzig end with both clubs trying to reach the Champions League final for the first time.
The French powerhouse will head into Tuesday's semi-final match with its Qatari money and high-profile squad, while the German club comes with its Red Bull backing and a team of mostly untested players.
At the Stadium of Light in Lisbon, it will be Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and his teammates taking on a Leipzig squad with little Champions League experience.
Leipzig has almost nothing to lose. For PSG, anything short of the title will feel like a disappointment for a club where a priority aim has been to break through with the European title after years of dominance in France.
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"We don't want to talk about pressure," PSG midfielder Ander Herrera said through a translator. "It's a great opportunity for us to be here in the semi-finals of the Champions League. We are living a dream at the moment. We are ready for it, we are well prepared. We are not talking about any pressure."
PSG became a European contender under its Qatari owners, but Leipzig is just starting to try to make its mark in Europe under energy drink company Red Bull, which in 2009 bought the license rights from fifth-tier club SSV Markranstaedt and financed the new team's steady promotion through the lower leagues.
Leipzig reached the Bundesliga in 2016 and the Champions League a few years later, but it has become highly unpopular at home because of its fast rise financed by Red Bull, prompting rivals fans to often protest at games.
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