Real Madrid was at the Parc des Princes Stadium in Paris for a training session on the eve of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 match against Paris Saint-Germain. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)
Champions League resumes with classic Round of 16 match-up
The Champions League is back this week giving us a couple of interesting match ups. But the duel between Real Madrid and Paris Saint Germain is by far the most attractive of them all.
The history between these two teams slightly favors Los Merengues. Real Madrid and PSG have face each other in six previous Champions League games, two coming in the same round as this year.
That match-up came in the 2017-18 season with the powerhouse squads battling to advance to the quarterfinals. Real Madrid were the defending champions but played poorly in the group stage, finishing second to Tottenham.
PSG was fantastic in its group stage, finishing first over Bayern Munich, but that didn’t matter against Real Madrid.
The Spaniards went through by winning both games (3-1 in Madrid and 2-1 in the return match in Paris). Madrid ended up lifting the title at the end of the season for the third time in a row, which was also their last Champions League trophy.
In the four other previous encounters between PSG and Madrid (all were group stage matches), the clubs are level with one win each and two draws.
Messi versus Real Madrid
This season is way different than five years ago. For instance, PSG has acquired one of the greatest football players in history in Lionel Messi. I think it’s fair to say that the Argentinian has some experience facing the Merengues, as he has played against them “only” 45 times.
Obviously this has to be one of the most interesting narratives entering the game, as there’s no player that has had as much success against Real Madrid as Messi. Since 2004, he has scored 26 times against Madrid,18 of those coming in LaLiga. That’s the most in history, surpassing Telmo Zarra, Silvestre Igoa and Guillermo Gorostiza by two.
Messi hasn’t had the success we all expected since joining PSG. In 20 games, he’s only managed to score 7 goals (an average of 0.35 per game) while providing 8 assists. However, it’s important to point out that 5 of his 7 goals have been in the Champions League, making him PSG’s top scorer.
There’s no doubt that all eyes are going to be on Messi, especially when they play at the Santiago Bernabéu. Real Madrid fans are going to give him a harsh welcome, but they’ll also be hoping he doesn’t have a performance as he is accustomed to at the Bernabéu.
Mbappe versus his future
Kylian Mbappe is one of the top young players in the world and his future with PSG is uncertain as his contract ends on July 30, making him free to go wherever he wants.
Speculation suggests he’ll join Real Madrid next season. Mbappe fed the gossip last year by declaring that there’s only one team in his mind besides PSG.
“I thought my adventure there was over, I wanted to discover a new thing. If I had left this summer it would only have been to join Real Madrid. Leaving was a logical step in my career,” he said.
The match-up between the young French player and his possible next team is also one of the most interesting parts of the tie. So, he might be on the losing side either way. If PSG advances, everyone will think there’s no reason for Mbappe to leave a great team to join a rebuilding one they just beat. If Real Madrid manages to come through and defeat Mbappe and company, it will be his sixth season with a heartbreaking defeat.
Sergio Ramos’ return to Madrid
Messi wont be the only player returning to the Santiago Bernabéu. There are two other players who might find it difficult to play this game, Sergio Ramos and Keylor Navas. Both players had a lot of success with Real Madrid. But for now, I’ll be focusing on Ramos as he became a club idol.
The Spanish defender joined Madrid in the 2005/06 season. He played in 671 games, 129 of those in the Champions League. As said above, he had a lot of success, especially in this tournament as he won the title four times. He also received the Defender of the Year award two times.
There’s no doubt it will be hard for most Real Madrid fans to see Ramos wearing the rival’s jersey. But at the same time, it will be interesting to see what kind of welcome they give their ex-captain, taking into account everything he did for the club, including that goal in the 93rd minute against Atlético Madrid in the Champions League final in 2014. His late tally helped Real Madrid win their first European title in 12 years.
Win or Bust
We must mention that this series is win or bust for both teams.
The truth is that PSG has long invested in top players in order to win the Champions League. Those investments include Messi, Neymar, Mbappe, Ramos and Gianluigi Donnarumma among others. If they get eliminated in the first round of the knockout stage, it will be another disappointment and will start making Qatar Sports Investments (PSG owners) doubt whether all their spending has been worth it.
As for Real Madrid, they have been on a roller coaster ride this season, starting low with plenty of doubt, including a stunning loss to FC Sheriff Tiraspol in the second match of the tournament. However, they turned things around and ended up topping Group D.
All said, Real Madrid’s best finish recently has been fourth place. Not bad but not what is expected of them. If they can’t find a way to win against PSG, it would be the third time in the last four years that they have been eliminated in the Round of 16.
