On Wednesday night, Real Madrid welcome Paris Saint-Germain to the Santiago Bernabeu for the second leg of their round of 16 UEFA Champions League clash.
A last-gasp piece of brilliance from Kylian Mbappe saw PSG snatch a 1-0 win at the Parc des Princes in the first leg last month.
💫 120 years in the making 💫#RealMadrid | #RealFootball pic.twitter.com/vHSX2AF2UD— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) March 6, 2022
💫 120 years in the making 💫#RealMadrid | #RealFootball pic.twitter.com/vHSX2AF2UD
It’s fair to say that Mauricio Pochettino’s men completely dominated the first leg. Not only did they enjoyed 58% possession, but they also racked up 21 shots – eight of which were on target.
By contrast, Real Madrid’s three attempts failed to hit the target. It goes without saying that Carlo Ancelotti will be hoping for a big improvement on Wednesday.
Los Blancos head into the second leg on the back of a thumping 4-1 victory over Real Sociedad. That means they are now enjoying a seven-match unbeaten streak in La Liga.
When you look at the bigger picture, they have lost just two of their 27 league games this season – picking up 19 wins and six draws in the process.
As a result, Real Madrid find themselves eight points clear of second-place Sevilla at the summit of the La Liga table.
Karim Benzema has bagged 27 goals and 12 assists in 32 games across all competitions this term. Meanwhile, Vinicius Junior notched 16 goals and 12 assists in 36 outings.
On the flip side, PSG were beaten 1-0 by Nice on Saturday – meaning they have lost two of their past three Ligue 1 games.
They still find themselves miles clear of every other side in the French top flight, though, having lost only three of their 27 league games this season.
In the Champions League, the Parisians have suffered just one defeat in seven matches this term – losing 2-1 to Manchester City during the group stage.
Although Messi chalked up seven goals and 11 assists, Mbappe’s 24 goals and 17 assists make him PSG’s standout performer at the moment.
Head-to-head: Real Madrid and PSG have meet each other on seven occasions in the Champions League since 2015.
Real Madrid have picked up three wins, while PSG have registered two. It is worth noting, however, that PSG are currently enjoying a three-game unbeaten streak in this fixture.
Team news: Real Madrid will be without the injured Toni Kroos on Wednesday. Federico Valverde is also a doubt due to illness.
As for the Parisians, they will be without midfielder Leandro Paredes as he continues to recover from an adductor injury.
If the first leg of this tie is anything to go by, Wednesday’s clash is destined to be a tense affair between two top teams.
With that in mind, Forebet predicts that Real Madrid and PSG will play out a goalless draw – sending the Parisians into the quarter-finals.