Paris St. Germain vs Borussia Dortmund combined XI

Paris St. Germain vs Borussia Dortmund combined XI: Haaland, Sancho, Mbappe lead star-studded attack

By Tushar Bahl | Feb 17, 2020

Dortmund's Norwegian forward Erling Braut Haaland celebrate scoring the 4-1 goal with Dortmund's English midfielder Jadon Sancho during the German first division Bundesliga football match Borussia Dortmund v FC Cologne in Dortmund, on January 24, 2020. (Photo by Ina FASSBENDER / AFP) / DFL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO (Photo by INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images) /

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PARIS, FRANCE – JANUARY 12: Marco Verratti of Paris Saint Germain during the French League 1 match between Paris Saint Germain v AS Monaco at the Parc des Princes on January 12, 2020 in Paris France (Photo by Jeroen Meuwsen/Soccrates/Getty Images) /

Midfielders: Axel Witsel and Marco Verratti

Two of Europe’s classiest midfielders line up in the middle of the park in our combined XI. Paris St. Germain’s world-class forwards always make the headlines, but Marco Verratti is often the one who pulls the strings from midfield.

The Italian international has been a mainstay in PSG’s midfield for years now, and he makes them tick with his excellent passing range and ability to start attacks from the deep. He is dangerous going forward with the ball at his feet, while also being excellent defensively.

Axel Witsel gets the nod over Julian Brandt, but only just. Brandt has been excellent since his switch to the number eight role at Borussia Dortmund. But Witsel is our pick because of his defensive prowess.

The Belgian does a great job of shielding the back four, while helping out with the quick transitions from defence to attack. Having Witsel in the line-up gives the team more balance and defensive structure.

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