Real Madrid host PSG on Wednesday in the first leg of what promises to be a thrilling Champions League tie. Here’s where the game will be won and lost.
When the Champions League round of 16 draw was made in December, one clash stuck out above the rest. On Wednesday night, current holders Real Madrid will take on a free-scoring PSG team in a season-defining game for both sides. For the hosts, the Champions League appears to be their last chance for silverware this season, while the Parisians have their eyes locked on a first European title after a summer spending spree. It’s a fixture neither side can afford to lose, making these individual matchups key for both sides.
Kylian Mbappe vs. Marcelo
One of the factors behind Real Madrid’s decline this season is the form of their full-backs, chiefly their left-back, Marcelo. Despite his position, Marcelo is a key attacking competent for Los Blancos. The Brazilian has a reputation for consistently delivering a killer ball and for his deadly relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo. Last season, the full-back almost single-handedly decided Real Madrid’s quarterfinal clash against Bayern Munich, putting in a massive shift for his side both offensively and defensively.
He’ll need to find that kind of form at the Bernabeu on Wednesday if he wants to come out on top against Kylian Mbappe. The 19-year-old sensation has been on fire since he moved to PSG over the summer. He scored 32 goals in all competitions in 2017, the most a player under 21 has scored since Brazilian Ronaldo scored 38 for PSV in 1995. The French youngster has the quality to expose Marcelo, who has been caught out defensively repeatedly this season, leaving Real Madrid’s left side completely exposed.
A player of Mbappe’s quality will be licking his lips at the prospect of playing Marcelo in current form, but that doesn’t mean the clash will be one sided. Marcelo, like the rest of his team, has demonstrated an ability to find another gear in the big clashes. When Marcelo is at the top of his game, he’s the best left-back in the world and it would make an already tasty matchup even more interesting.
Neymar vs. Achraf/Nacho
This matchup is interesting because Real Madrid will have a selection dilemma at right-back. Regular starter Dani Carvajal is suspended for the first leg of this fixture. Zinedine Zidane has two choices to fill his spot, Achraf or Nacho. The Frenchman has generally opted for Achraf when Carvajal has been injured this season. The 19-year-old Moroccan was promoted from Real Madrid’s B team in the summer and has put in some respectable performances when called upon. However, the prospect of him facing Neymar will not fill Madridistas with confidence.
The world most expensive player has made the French capital side his own this season, scoring 27 goals in all competitions and creating a further 16 for his teammates. The 26-year-old has taken his game to another level at PSG and although Achraf is a promising full-back, he’s not ready to face Neymar in this form.
If Zidane shares this sentiment he will likely start Nacho at full-back instead. Nacho has had a rags to riches story over the last two years. The 28-year-old has been a Madrid player his entire career, spending most of that time as the third choice defender for the club. He was nearly sold in the summer of 2016, but the deal fell through and marks a complete u-turn in the defender’s career. Nacho has gone from the-third choice center-back to Real Madrid’s second best defender this season, mainly thanks to Sergio Ramos’s struggle with fitness and suspension.
Ramos returned against Levante, however Nacho can play across the backline, including right-back and could give Neymar a real challenge on the right side of Real Madrid’s defense. This clash could very well be decided when the team lineups are announced an hour before kick off.
Luka Modric vs. Marco Veratti
The clash in midfield promises to be the most intriguing of them all, as two of Europe’s finest midfield controllers go head to head. PSG’s Marco Veratti was in the eye of a number of suitors before committing to his current team. Barcelona and Juventus saw the Italian as the long-term successor to Andreas Iniesta and Andrea Pirlo respectively. Keeping Veratti in France was as big a statement of intent from PSG as the big bucks moves of Neymar and Mbappe last summer.
Veratti will be facing off against Real Madrid’s magical number 10 Luka Modric. The Croatian hasn’t been at his best consistently this season, but he has begun to come into his own in recent weeks. Real Madrid will hope that recent form and experience will see Modric trump in the midfield battle while PSG will expect Veratti’s youth and excellent season to win out in the end.
One thing is for certain, whoever wins this clash will likely see the better of the chances of the game, a testament to the talent of these two fantastic midfielders.
Gareth Bale vs. Layvin Kurzawa
Gareth Bale’s form following his return from injury has been one of the few things that Madrid fans have had to cheer about since the turn of the year. In his first league start in four months, Bale saved a point for Madrid with a brace in a 2-2 draw against Celta Vigo. The following game he became the first Real player to surpass four league goals this season.
Since his return, he has easily been the best player out of Real Madrid’s feared BBC trident, providing a bit of pace and drive in an attack that has been quite stagnant and predictable. For the most part, PSG are either well matched or edge Real Madrid on individual matchups across the pitch, but this particular matchup is heavily in Los Blancos‘ favor.
Not many full-backs could match an in-form Gareth Bale, and Layvin Kurzawa isn’t even close to the Welshman in this matchup. The full-back’s season could be best summed up in PSG’s last defeat, a 2-1 loss to Lyon in the league. Kurzawa scored the equalizer and played a very prominent attacking role, but was consistently beaten by Lyon’s wide men, allowing Memphis Depay the space to score a fantastic winner. A fit Bale will pose a lot more question of Kurzawa and the French international will need a defensive showing unlike anything we have seen from him this season to match the Welshman.
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Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Alphonse Areola
There have been two Cristiano Ronaldos this season. There has been the Ronaldo in La Liga who only reached 10 league goals in Real Madrid’s 5-2 win over Real Sociedad this weekend.
Then there is Ronaldo in the Champions League who still looks every bit as lethal as he did last season. The Portuguese superstar is the top scorer in the competition this year with nine goals and set another Champions League record in the group stages, becoming the first player to score at least once in every group game match. After his recent league performances, the winger will have a point to prove coming into this mega tie against PSG.
Alphonse Areola, on the other hand, has been proving his point since the beginning of the season. The 24-year-old had been linked with a move away from Paris over the summer, but opted to stay in the French capital and has played a massive role in PSG’s deceptive defensive record so far this season. The youth graduate kept a incredible 11 clean sheets across his first 17 matches in all competitions. He conceded just four goals in the group stages, three of them coming against Bayern Munich in the last group stage match at the Allianz.
The shot stopper can take a large portion of the credit for PSG’s defensive record. As discussed above, Kurzawa and his full-back partner, Dani Alves, like to attack, but have been caught out on a number of occasions this season. With such space available, one can only presume Ronaldo will have more than his fair share of chances in this game. Still, he’ll need to be at his clinical best to beat the in-form Areola. A clinical Ronaldo is not something Madrid fans have seen since the group stages of the Champions League and the faceoff between these two shall be quite a compelling tale come the full time whistle in Madrid.