Paris Saint
Germain Football Club (PSG) will take on Atalanta on Wednesday as the 19-20 season of the UEFA
Champions League reaches its business end, following a prolonged suspension due
to the global outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

The ‘David
vs Goliath’ clash will take place in Benfica’s Estadio da Luz stadium in Lisbon in a straight-knockout
format, much like a World Cup or a European Championship, which was the only
possible solution for UEFA to complete the lucrative competition.

PSG will be
eyeing their first semi-final appearance since the Qatari takeover almost a
decade ago. They have also been handed a major boost with manager Thomas Tuchel
confirming Kylian Mbappe was declared fit to play against Atalanta.

“If he trains
well on Tuesday evening and nothing extraordinary happens, he will be in the
team on Wednesday,” Tuchel said.

The French
international footballer was in a doubt for the remainder of the competition after spraining
his ankle in the French Cup final win over Saint Etienne on July 24.

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Atalanta,
whose wage bill for the entire squad is approximately equal to PSG and Brazil star
Neymar Jr.’s annual salary, are in their maiden Champions League campaign. The
Italians finished third in the Seria A and have been sparked by the suffering
of their home city of Bergamo during the pandemic’s peak in Italy.  

“There is
extra motivation for us after what has happened. We have to represent our city
in the best possible way and give the people something to smile about,” Atalanta
manager Gian Piero Gasperini said on Tuesday.

Following a
five-month interval since March, the competition returned last week to complete
the remaining second-leg encounters from the round of 16. Two-legged
quarter-finals and semi-finals have been done away with and all eight remaining
teams are now in Lisbon, where strict health protocols are being followed
including regular testing.

There will
also be no fans present at the venues, although a study estimates that around
16,000 fans will come to Lisbon in the next 10 days, according to a report by
AFP.

“The
atmosphere is bizarre. The city seems empty and the bars close early,” an
Atalanta fan, who plans to watch the match in a bar, told AFP.

Social
distancing measure and other restrictions remain in place in and around Lisbon
in an attempt to prevent further spread of the virus. Gatherings have been limited
to no more than 10 people, while consumption of alcohol in public remains
banned. All shops and cafes must also close at 8:00pm, the time matches will
kick off.

The changed
format makes the competition much more open with all teams almost having an equal
shot at the title. The winner of the PSG-Atalanta fixture will proceed to the
semi-final, where they will meet either Atletico Madrid or RB Leipzig, who play
on Thursday.

The remaining
quarter final fixtures are Manchester City against Lyon and Barcelona against
Bayern, the latter two being the only clubs still in the competition to have
previously won it. The final will be played on August 23.

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UEFA have
said that matches must take place as long as a team has 13 healthy players
including a goalkeeper, otherwise teams will risk forfeiting their fixtures. Concerns
were raised over the weekend when Atletico Madrid confirmed two of their
players had tested positive for the coronavirus, although their squad has
travelled to Lisbon and their matches are set to proceed.