Loss of their top scorer Timo Werner, already at Chelsea, was no obstacle for Leipzig to narrowly but fairly defeat Atletico Madrid led from the back by the imposing central Dayot Upamecano.
Undoubtedly, the pressure is on PSG while Leipzig can face the commitment with some tranquility.
The millionaire project of PSG, with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe at the helm, is only justified with a Champions League trophy in their showcases, which would be the second for France, after Marseille won the Champions League in 1993.
Neymar and Mbappe come with a favorable wind, knowing that, as happened in the quarterfinals against Atlanta, they are the two extremes that can and should unbalance the semifinal in favor of the Parisians.
Neymar was awarded the trophy for the best player of the tie against the Italians, since with Mbappe on the bench he had taken the team on his shoulders and achieved a total of 22 successful dribbles against his rivals.
Goalkeeper Keylor Navas, replaced by Sergio Rico against Atalanta after suffering a hamstring injury, will not be able to play, unless there is a surprise, so the Spanish goalkeeper will have a new opportunity.
Thiago Solva also ended up with a hamstring injury after playing 90 minutes in the quarterfinals, while Italian Marco Verratti has not played with PSG since August 4, due to a calf problem.
It is more than likely that the German-Cameroonian forward Choupo Moting, the hero of PSG who scored the 1-2 in injury time against Atlanta, will not start and the Spaniard Sarabia could give up his place in the starting eleven to Mbappe.
On the Leipzig side, coach Julian Nagelsmann has no reason to make changes to the team that defeated Atletico.
He will most likely resort to a three-man defense, with Upamecano supported by Lukas Klostermann and Marcel Halstenberg.
This gives certain offensive liberties to the full-backs Konrad Laimer and Angeliño, who will seek to exploit the PSG defense.
One of the architects of Leipzig, Ralf Rangnik, who accompanied the club's rise from the lower categories to the elite of German football, has said that PSG is vulnerable precisely on the wings, which can represent an opportunity for the German team and give Laimer and Angeliño an important role.
Rangnik no longer holds any position in the club but Nagelsmann has been a sort of disciple since the two coincided at Hoffenheim.
GERMAN COACHES REUNION
Thomas Tuchel, PSG's coach, and Nagelsman shared a dressing room in the second team of Augsburg in 2008, when Tuchel was the coach and Nagelsman was a player who retired that same year due to a knee injury.
After hanging up his boots, the current Leipzig coach was Tuchel's assistant, as a scout for the teams that Augsburg had to face.
They have faced each other twice as rivals in the Bundesliga, during the 2016-2017 season. In the first match they drew and in the second Borussia Dortmund, coached by Tuchel, won against Nagelsman's Hoffenheim.
"I played against Thomas but I haven't won, it would be good if that changed," Nagelsmann said after qualifying for the semifinals.
Both coaches are considered obsessed with the small details in the preparation of the matches.
Possible lineups:
- Paris Saint Germain: Sergio Rico; Kehrer, Thiago Silva, Kimpembe, Bernat; Marquinhos, Herrera, Gueye; Mbappe, Neymar, and Icardi.
- RB Leipzig: Gulasci; Klostermann, Upamecano, Halstenberg; Laimer, Sabitzer, Kampl, Angeliño: Nkunku, Dani Olmo; and Poulsen.
Referee: Björn Kuipers (Netherlands).
Stadium: Da Luz (Lisbon)
Kickoff time: 15:00 Paraguayan time.