It will be an absolute joy to watch Real Madrid lock horns with Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes on Matchday 1 of the UEFA Champions League. The two teams are amongst the toughest in the competition this season and are both gunning for the prized UEFA Champions League trophy this season.
The two European giants are arguably the strongest two teams in Group A, which also consists of Club Brugge and Galatasaray. Paris Saint-Germain would be fielding a rather weak starting eleven against Real Madrid for this fixture with several notable absentees in the form of Mbappe, Neymar and Cavani.
PSG have enjoyed a near-perfect start to the season and are sitting on top of the points table in the Ligue 1. They have only lost once to second-placed, Rennes who are playing in the UEFA Europa League. Los Blancos, on the other hand, have had a sluggish start to the season. Zidane’s men have dropped points on two occasions with draws against Villarreal and Real Valladolid.
Both sides exited the elite European club competition in the Round of 16 phase the last time around and would be looking to make it all the way this time.
Team News
Paris Saint-Germain
The French side would be entering this fixture with several key players missing. Neymar who has made his return to PSG will be unable to have any part in proceedings due to a three-match ban the Brazilian picked up when his side was knocked out by Manchester United. Kylian Mbappe, Edinson Cavani, Julian Draxler, and Thilo Kehrer are also unavailable for the fixture due to injuries.
Real Madrid
Real Madrid would be without the services of Marco Asensio, Isco, Luka Modric, Marcelo, and Brahim Diaz. The five mentioned Los Blancos players are all out injured. Additionally, Sergio Ramos and Nacho are also set to miss out on this crucial fixture against PSG with suspensions from UEFA.
Predicted Line-Ups
Paris Saint Germain (4-3-3) –
Navas – Meunier – Silva – Diallo – Kurzawa – Verratti – Gueye – Di Maria – Icardi – Sarabia – Choupo-Moting
Real Madrid (4-3-3) –
Courtois – Carvajal – Varane – Militao – Mendy – James – Casemiro – Kroos – Bale – Benzema – Hazard
Key Players
Paris Saint Germain – Di Maria
The former Real Madrid man would be eyeing a sensational performance in this fixture against his old club. Di Maria has been an integral part of the Parisian side and has started in four out of five possible games this season in Ligue 1.
The attacker has also become versatile in his role and has been positioned on the left as well as the right side by coach Thomas Tuchel. Real Madrid would be well aware of his exceptional dribbling and shooting abilities.
Real Madrid – Gareth Bale
The Welsh international has seemed more determined than ever before. It certainly feels like Bale walks out on to the field of play each time to prove a firm point to someone. The Welshman has been in commendable form this season and even scored twice against Villarreal to earn Los Blancos a point. Paris Saint-Germain would need to be quick to close down Bale. Otherwise, he would turn out to be a menace for them on Wednesday evening.
Last Meeting
The two teams last met in the 2017/18 season of the UEFA Champions League in the Round of 16. Real Madrid emerged victorious in the tie with a 5-2 scoreline and also won the away fixture at the Parc des Princes with a 2-1 scoreline.
Predicted Outcome
Paris Saint Germain 1 – 3 Real Madrid
Both the teams are well poised going into the fixture, but Real Madrid do seem to be having everything in their favour.
