Good evening, folks.

Well, a place in the Champions League semi-finals is up for grabs. Can Manuel Pellegrini mastermind a positive result against PSG tonight? Following that 2-2 result in Paris, any win or a 0-0 or 1-1 draw is enough for the home side.

The teams have just been confirmed so let’s start with Manchester City.

And here’s how PSG will line up.

No surprises from City regarding their team selection as Yaya Toure remains on the bench.

But there’s a big surprise from Laurent Blanc. It looks like he’s going with a 3-5-2 formation though some are wondering if he will take such a risk. Essentially, he’s named two right-backs in Van der Wiel and Aurier. The plot thickens…

Thanks to eagle-eyed reader Michael who has just spotted an error in my preamble. Apologies. I haven’t had my coffee yet.

Eoin,

Is a 2 2 draw at home enough for city as you outlined ??

Not sure you meant that !

A 2-2 draw won’t be enough for City to progress. It will lead to extra-time, of course. And I’m getting ahead of myself now!

By the way, two enforced changes for PSG tonight because David Luiz and Blaise Matuidi picked up bookings in the first leg.

That’s why Marquinhos and Gregory van der Wiel are handed starts.

Would Blanc make such a dramatic formation switch for such a big game? Pfff…he could. But I’m not sure. Surely they need to play to their strengths? Throwing a different strategy into the mix just over-complicates things, doesn’t it?

Also, it’s worth reminding you that there’s another Champions League q-final tonight too and we;ll be keeping a very close eye on whether Real Madrid can overhaul a 2-0 deficit against Wolfsburg back at the Bernabeu.

By the way, over on TV3, Richard Dunne is making his punditry debut. No doubt he has the number 5 scrawled on the back of his suit jacket.

Aren’t we all?

Last week, it was a game of errors punctuated by some football. Here’s hoping tonight is the opposite.

KICK-OFF!

Makes sense really. Actually, no. No it doesn’t. Not at all.

Good start by City as PSG try to figure out how to play with a different formation. The guests are playing with a back three.

De Bruyne, who was excellent in the first leg, has begun well here again while Aguero has already taken on half the PSG defence with a surging run.

PSG content to just take a breath and knock a few passes together. They had to endure a lot of early pressure from City.

PSG knock on the door as di Maria tries to slip a through-ball for Cavani. It’s just too heavy for the attacker who had done the hard part and stayed onside.

So, to confirm, PSG have swapped to 3-5-2 this evening. Aurier and Marquinhos are either side of Thiago Silva. Ahead of them, Maxwell is on the left wing and and Van der Wiel on the opposite flank.

Ibrahimovic is very isolated up top as Cavani drops deep to try and get involved. The Swede hasn’t got a touch yet and we’ve played fifteen minutes.

CLOSE! What a hit! My goodness. Zlatan absolutely leathers it and it dips dangerously underneath Hart’s crossbar. It’s really travelling but the keeper flings himself at it and tips the ball over the bar.

Fernandinho takes down Rabiot and Zlatan may fancy this. It’s quite a distance out, though.

REAL V WOLFSBURG UPDATE! By the way, in tonight’s other game, Real Madrid have just scored twice in the space of 60 seconds to lead Wolfsburg 2-0 on the night and draw level (2-2) in the tie. Who else but Cristiano Ronaldo with the double?

Referee Carlos Velasco Carballo hasn’t exactly endeared himself to the home crowd. He doesn’t blow for a free-kick as Aguero is sent tumbling by Thiago Silva. Moments later, he gives PSG  a free-kick to a chorus of boos.

CLOSE! And moments later, Aguero pops up in the right channel and arrows a strike that’s dipping towards the far corner…but it drifts just wide in the end as Kevin Trapp scrambled to make it across.

CLOSE! De Bruyne and Silva play a lovely one-two and the Belgian races towards the area before sliding a pass into the left channel for Aguero. He takes it first time and whistles it wide of the near post.

Free kick in a dangerous position on the left side for City and when it’s half-cleared, de Bruyne plays in a superb pass for Silva on the overlap. His cross is deflected into the side-net.

PENALTY TO MAN CITY! 

Missed penalty! Aguero! 

Oh. My. Word. What a chance. And just like Zlatan in the first leg, Aguero does likewise here. It was his pace and movement that led to the penalty being awarded and he took it around Trapp before the keeper took him down. A certain penalty but Aguero tries to place it to the keeper’s left and puts it wide of the upright. A really poor kick, to be honest.

BOOKING! By the way, Trapp was booked for the challenge. There were PSG players racing back to cover the goal-line so it wasn’t a ‘clear’ goalscoring opportunity.

Aguero is down injured here and he could be in trouble. He landed awkwardly after trying to win a header in the air.

Well, he’s up and very, very gingerly walking to the touchline. He’s been in the wars after an explosive opening 36 minutes and he’s back on now.

It’s been a very, very underwhelming half from PSG as City have delivered a terrific first-half performance. Full of energy, full of spirit and some lovely moments from Aguero and de Bruyne, in particular. They deserve to be in front here.

CLOSE! That’s a really good chance for City and it comes from that dogged closing-down. PSG just can’t properly clear their lines because of the pressure and the ball breaks perfectly for Navas. He’s central, on the edge of the area and with time to set up the shot. But the effort is well wide of the post and that’s poor.

Thiago Motta is done for the night. Hamstring and they’ll miss his composure. Already without Matuidi and they’re going to make an offensive swap here.

SUBSTITUTION! Lucas (on) – Thiago Motta (off)

That switch has now meant PSG have reverted to type regarding their formation. They’ve gone 4-3-3 now with Aurier slotting in to centre-back, I think.

HALF-TIME! 

Man City deserve to be ahead but how much will they rue Aguero’s penalty miss? They’ve been much the better side but they haven’t created many clear-cut chances. It’s really been a very one-sided game so far with PSG struggling to breathe at times. They look very nervous at the back and the change in formation didn’t do much good at all. Now, with Thiago Motta forced off, they’ve reverted to a 4-3-3 and that should settle them down after the break.

City’s work-rate has been terrific and the midfield two of Fernandinho and Fernando have been tenacious. Up top, de Bruyne has been his usual busy self while Aguero’s superb opening to the game was stunted by the penalty miss and a subsequent knock he shipped.

It’s still delicately poised but hard to see PSG being that poor after the break.

It’s 4-3-3 now but Blanc certainly did err with the formation change.

SECOND-HALF! 

Good chance for PSG here as Fernando takes down Cavani. Edge of the area and central. Zlatan time.

CLOSE! That’s Hart’s second great save from a Zlatan free-kick tonight. It was whipped around the wall and curling towards the corner but still relatively central for the keeper to beta it away.

That’s better from the guests. PSG work the flanks and go from left to right. Lucas feeds van der Wiel on the overlap but his low cross is too close to Hart. Opening up nicely here.

PSG put the ball in the net but the flag is up. Again, it came from van der Wiel getting up that pitch. Clichy needs to be wary here.

This is a very tasty affair now. At one end, Clichy sticks a boot in the clear a dangerous cross into the area and then City go down the other end with de Bruyne forcing a free kick and fizzing in a dangerous delivery. PSG are going to make another change here, by the way.

SUBSTITUTION! Pastore (on) – Aurier (off)

PSG are going for it here. Off goes a defender and on comes an attacker. There’s still half an hour left. Brave or stupid from Laurent Blanc? Only time will tell.

Oh…by the way, here’s what was happening when Aguero missed that penalty in the first half.

CLOSE! There’s Thiago Silva with a header from the in-swinging corner and Hart manages to claw it over the bar. It bounced up off the ground pretty awkwardly but he dealt with it.

BOOKING! Pastore is late on Fernandinho and deservedly gets a yellow for his troubles.

BOOKING! And now van der Wiel gets a yellow after a nasty and high challenge on de Bruyne. PSG need to be careful here. They’re diving into silly tackles much too frequently.

Rabiot has a lovely, lovely touch and glides past one challenge from de Bruyne before touching past Fernandinho. There’s a thumping challenge and the concession of another free-kick. PSG chasing things but, so far, no goal for their efforts. The set-piece doesn’t lead to anything and it’s back to the drawing board.

Timing is everything…

BOOKING! Fernandinho finally goes in the book after dishing some out on Pastore.

GOAL! De Bruyne! 

That should really be that. PSG can’t get the ball clear and it bounces around their box for quite a while. It eventually breaks for de Bruyne on the edge of the area and he jinks onto his right foot before whipping the strike low, around Trapp and inside the near post. Wonderful finish.

REAL V WOLFSBURG UPDATE! So, Man City are essentially home and dry here while Real Madrid have just taken the lead against Wolfsburg – Ronaldo with his hat-trick. They now go 3-2 up in the tie.

CLOSE! That really needed to be put away by Cavani. Instead, as he races onto the pass from di Maria, his touch takes him just a little wide. Hart races off his line and smothers the shot.

PSG have to push and they’re, quite inevitably, incredibly vulnerable on the counter-attack. City could get another here to really wrap it up.

PSG have the ball in the net once more but Zlatan is offside by quite a distance as the low cross comes in from the left. Never in doubt and lazy from the Swede. He had to get back in time there.

SUBSTITUTION! Toure (on) – de Bruyne (off)

The Belgian has been really good and all that money City paid for him last summer was for the type of moment he conjured this evening.

SUBSTITUTION! Delph (on) – Silva (off)

City just looking to see this one out now. They’ve been very impressive tonight.

There’s going to be three minutes of added time here but City are home and dry.

SUBSTITUTION! Iheanacho (on) – Aguero (off)

The Argentine has been excellent tonight, despite the missed penalty in the first half.

FULL-TIME! 

That’s Manchester City into the final four and the investment last summer has yielded the reward. They’ve won the league title twice in the last four years and Europe was what they wanted to crack. Finally, they’ve got there. Tonight, they were excellent. They bossed the game from start to finish and, really, it never seemed in doubt.

Aguero missed a penalty in the first half and we wondered whether they would live to regret it. But, PSG didn’t create enough. There were a pair of Zlatan free-kicks that forced Hart into action and Cavani had a great chance to equalise after de Bruyne’s goal but the keeper was there again to smother.

Ultimately, City are into the semis on merit and despite their domestic struggles, Pellegrini has them exactly where they wanted to be – finally sitting at Europe’s top table.

Thanks for staying with us and there will be more coverage on the site tonight.