Paris Saint-Germain need Kylian Mbappe fit and firing for Champions League semi-final against Manchester City

Striker's goalscoring prowess is key to Pochettino's side overturning 2-1 deficit in second leg on Tuesday

PSG RATINGS: Keylor Navas - 7: Mistake when he passed the ball away just after half-hour that gave City a chance. Solid save from Foden just before half time. Waited for a City player to head a De Bruyne ball in – and watched as it went straight in the net. Navas was then fuming as City took the lead with the ball going through his wall. Saved a Foden header. AFP

Alessandro Florenzi - 7: Had strike on goal inadvertently blocked by Verratti after 12 minutes and, like many of his teammates, was fantastic in the first half, frustrated and flustered in the second. EPA

Marquinhos - 7: PSG’s captain put his side ahead after 15 minutes, losing his marker to glance a Di Maria corner into the net. Solid second half defending and had just made an important block before De Bruyne scored. Getty

Presnel Kimpembe - 7: Comfortable and assured when City pressed, but culpable for his part in the wall which created gap for Mahrez’s free-kick to put City into the lead. AFP

Mitchel Bakker - 7: The 20-year-old Dutch left back showed maturity with positioning, blocks and headed clearances but then looked shakier after the break as City dominated and got away with one mix-up with Navas. Reuters

Leandro Paredes - 7: Brilliant first half, nightmare second. Headed a Neymar corner wide after 27 minutes as City struggled to defend PSG’s perfectly delivered corners. Cleared a dangerous City ball with a high boot and often too strong in the tackle for City’s protesting players. Booked in frustration after 69 as roles reversed in the second half – and gave away the free-kick that led to a goal. EPA

Idrissa Gueye - 5: Tireless pressing in the midfield three meant City couldn’t get control in first half. Shielded the defence and moved forward well. Became frustrated in second half and made a terrible tackle, diving in on Gundogan’s Achilles tendon – for which he rightly received a straight red card. AFP

Marco Verratti - 7: Vital cog in the PSG machine. Beautiful ball to Mbappe just after half hour. Brilliant in tight spaces and controlled the midfield pace in first half, but totally different in the second as City took their turn to control possession, the game and finally, the tie. AFP

Angel Di Maria - 7: Superb corner to set up opening goal. His side’s set-pieces troubled City all night. Stamped on Cancelo’s foot in the second half but wasn’t booked. Spent a lot of time on the ground but still capable of amazing play. He brought the ball from his own corner flag to set up Neymar at one point. EPA

Neymar - 6: Quick feet and creativity a threat when on the ball in the first half. Almost anonymous in the second half as he was starved of possession with City pressing higher. Booked. PA

Kylian Mbappe - 5: French attacker has 37 goals so far this season but drew a blank here. Quick feet and pace saw him beat Stones and place the ball across the City goal. Fouled by Cancelo who was yellow carded. Getty

SUBS: Danilo - (On for Di Maria 80') N/A. Brought on after Gueye was sent off. AFP

Ander Herrera - (On for Paredes 83') N/A. Cross towards Marquinhos in a rare PSG second half attack. Reuters

MANCHESTER CITY RATINGS Ederson - 7: Good stop to tip over a Neymar strike after 13 minutes and had no chance for PSG goal that was down to slack marking. Quick off line just before the hour to stop Mbappe getting through on goal. EPA

Kyle Walker - 7: Not the most convincing of starts from the England right-back as PSG’s quick and fluent attacks caused City all sorts of problems but improved as match went on. Brilliant overlap and ball into box after 64 minutes but no one in middle to stick it in the net, which was a regular occurrence for City. Getty

Ruben Dias - 8: Beaten to header by Paredes who headed just wide to nearly put home side 2-0 up as City struggled to cope with PSG’s superb deliveries from corners. Grew into the game and was excellent in second half. AP

John Stones - 8: Centre-half returning from suspension and up against two the world’s finest attackers in Mbappe and Neymar. Beaten once by Mbappe but stuck to task impressively and the dynamic PSG duo were kept very quiet after break. PA

Joao Cancelo - 5: Superb disguised ball to back post to pick out Silva whose volley was saved, but downhill from there. Earned deserved yellow card for foul on Mbappe after half an hour and cut a frustrated figure in the opening 45. Sloppy distribution and poor final ball so was no surprise when hooked after an hour. A rare off day for Portuguese. AP

Ilkay Gundogan - 7: Midfielder lost Marquinhos for opening goal and was told in no uncertain terms to stick to his man by teammates at next PSG corner. Showed lovely turn of pace to skip past Neymar 10 minutes into second half. On receiving end of disgraceful challenge from behind by Gueye that saw PSG man sent-off. Reuters

Rodri - 6: Caught in possession in first two minutes which gifted PSG early attack on goal and failed to get a grip in first half. Helped turn the tide in second half, though, as the momentum swung City’s way. Good run and ball into box in last 10 minutes that, again, needed a centre-forward at the end of it. PA

Kevin De Bruyne - 7: City’s talisman attacked box down left after 38 minutes but his fine ball into middle was crying out for the centre-forward City needed on pitch. Enjoyed huge slice of luck when cross from left curled into far corner after 64 minutes. Booked for foul on Danilo with five minutes to go that PSG claimed was same as Gueye’s red, which it certainly wasn’t. EPA

Bernardo Silva - 7: Back in starting line-up as Pep Guardiola again started with no out and out striker and forced first save out of Navas with volley while at full stretch from Cancelo cross. Set-up Foden for his glorious chance just before half-time. Buzzed around dangerously after break as City stepped up the gears. EPA

Phil Foden - 7: Good ball into box to pick out Mahrez after 33 minutes. Then should have levelled the scores just before break when he fired straight at Navas with goal at his mercy after going for power rather than placement. Saw flicked header fly straight into Navas’ hands with quarter of an hour to go, then set out on lovely weaving run in last few minutes but could only direct shot with outside of his left boot straight at keeper. EPA

Riyad Mahrez - 8: Beautiful early ball to find De Bruyne but then went quiet until half-hour mark when his dangerous header across six-yard box almost found Silva in middle. Curled free-kick through woeful PSG defensive wall to put City 2-1 up and slammed another shot wide late on. A handful throughout second half for PSG. AFP

SUBS: Oleksandr Zinchenko – (On for Cancelo 61’) 7: A more reliable presence than the man he replaced, making some important tackles and interceptions. Reuters

Kevin De Bruyne, with typical candour, had told a pre-match press conference he was not too familiar with the teenager tipped to line-up against his Manchester City.

At that stage, the tyro was not widely known. This was to be his first start in the Champions League and City were the clear favourites in their last-16 tie with upstart Monaco.

It was early 2017, and Kylian Mbappe had only recently turned 18. He grew up a great deal that night at the Etihad, and it made him famous.

There were eight goals in the 90 minutes, Mbappe scored his first in Europe and it put Monaco 2-1 at half-time. Final score: 5-3 to City. By the end of the second leg, Mbappe had his second Champions League goal and City had been eliminated, on an aggregate score that read more like it should belong at the Monte Carlo Open, 6-6, with Monaco through on the tie-breaker of away goals.

Mbappe was picked for the senior France squad for the first time immediately after that breakthrough tie against City. He propelled Monaco to the French league title and, that summer, became the most expensive teen in the history of sport when Paris Saint-Germain signed him, on a binding loan deal, initially, to ease the budgetary impact of buying Neymar in the same transfer window.

On Tuesday, 22-year-old Mbappe will be back at the Etihad, and, once again, there is an element of gamble in whether or not to include him in the starting XI. He has been troubled by a calf problem since PSG's 2-1 defeat to City in the first leg of the semi-final that will be concluded in Manchester. He missed Saturday's 2-1 victory over Lens.

It might be reported, too, that Mbappe has recently suffered a Ruben Dias and a Kyle Walker problem.

It is a rare feat for any defence to shackle the explosive, in-form Frenchman, and among the startling statistics from City’s comeback from a goal down in Paris last Wednesday was the number of Mbappe shots on target: PSG’s leading goalscorer for the season – 37 across competitions – registered none, Dias his expert guard much of the time, Walker his equal in the sprint.

Defend that effectively on Tuesday and City will be on their way to a first Champions League final, while PSG, who reached their debut final in the competition last August, would anticipate some serious turbulence when they arrive home.

Gallery: PSG 2 Lens 1

Neymar celebrates after scoring Paris Saint-Germain's first goal in their 2-1 Ligue 1 win over Lens at the Parc des Princes on Saturday, May 1. AP

PSG attacker Neymar is tackeld by Lens' Cheick Doucoure.

Lens goalscorer Knepe Ganago on the attack in Paris. AFP

PSG's Marquinhos celebrates scoring their second goal. Reuters

Neymar scores for PSG. Reuters

PSG striker Kylian Mbappe, right, watches from the stands. AP

PSG's Neymar claims a foul after a challenge from Lens defender Jonathan Clauss. AFP

PSG's Brazilian forward Neymar scores the opening goal. AFP

PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino. AFP

Marquinhos makes it 2-0 to PSG. EPA

PSG's Marquinhos celebrates with Neymar after making it 2-0. EPA

In December they sacked Thomas Tuchel, who could tomorrow guide Chelsea into the final, and replaced him with Mauricio Pochettino, who will be judged very squarely on what happens Tuesday evening and over the next two weeks.

After the City game, Pochettino, Neymar, Mbappe and the rest of mainland Europe’s most expensively assembled squad will have three league fixtures to try to erode the stubborn one point lead Lille hold over them in France’s top division.

Lille's victory at the Parc des Princes last month meant they leapfrogged the serial champions – PSG have won seven of the last eight French championships – and they still cling to that advantage. With nine points to play for, the title is not in PSG's hands.

The defence of the French Cup is, and PSG will meet Montpellier in the semi-final in a week’s time. But if Pochettino ends up with just one major trophy – or less – by the end of May, the first sixth months of the year-and-a-half contract he signed in January will be deemed an unsatisfactory probation.

It is not likely to cost him the job, but it may bring with it a vexing summer, one where transfer targets are harder to persuade that PSG are likely Champions League winners in the near future, and where Mbappe’s own commitment is clouded.

The player has spoken openly about a desire to play for a club outside France at some stage in his career. His PSG contract expires in 2022.

Pochettino has backed himself to stimulate Mbappe’s loyalty to PSG, though his immediate concern is the limp his star striker was walking with as he boarded the squad’s flight to England yesterday. “We will assess him,” said Pochettino of Mbappe’s readiness to start against City.

Pochettino praised his team’s “character and resilience,” and said that, in the first leg, he had seen “perhaps the best 45 minutes PSG have played since I came in, but in the second half, we weren’t able to keep the same intensity and level.”

Pochettino has every reason to believe in a strong, compelling away leg. In the previous rounds, PSG scored four times at Barcelona, and three times at Bayern. The catch is that five of those seven goals were Mbappe's.