It’s a final before the hour that will leave on the floor a team calibrated to at least play the last four of the Champions League. Lionel Messi’s Paris SG and Real Madrid, Kylian Mbappé’s suitor, face off earlier than expected on Tuesday (9:00 p.m.) in a round of 16 first leg that Neymar and Karim Benzema, uncertain, hope to play.
At PSG, where the Champions League is the alpha and omega of the season, the start of the knockout phase promises to rekindle the flame of a Parisian team which has provided too little emotion this season, apart from the flashes of the star Mbappé. There are two Paris, that of the major European meetings, and that which takes lightly its matches on the national scene, with a detachment which despairs even to its ultras, angry against the few “overpaid mercenaries” who play ” unmotivated”.
This is an opportunity to reconcile at the time of facing the great Real, thirteen times European champion (a record) and designated opponent of the Parisians after a botched draw by UEFA and finally given to redo.
Special match for Mbappé and Messi
“We have done a great job. Tuesday we will arrive in the best conditions”assured Parisian coach Mauricio Pochettino, who calls for “The union” with the supporters who protested Friday against Rennes (1-0). Before the return match, on Wednesday March 9 at the Santiago-Bernabeu stadium, it is still too early to address the dramatic consequences that an elimination could have on the club, which has reached the last four for the past two years.
Criticized for months, Pochettino certainly plays his part in this double confrontation, he who rumors see being replaced by Zinédine Zidane in the event of dismissal. Today, the Argentinian coach prefers to talk about the strengths of his team: his rediscovered defense, which has conceded only one goal in his last seven matches, the presence of the playing master Marco Verratti, the memory of the victory against Manchester City in September (2-0), or the great form of Mbappé, still a scorer on Friday. The superstar striker is preparing for a special night against Real, who dream of attracting him when his contract expires next June. “I’m focused on winning against Real Madrid, and then we’ll see what happens”the player said on February 6.
Another argument in favor of the Parisians, the presence of Messi, the superstar with 26 goals in 45 matches against the people of Madrid, whom he used to martyrize when he wore the FC Barcelona jersey.
Who in the Parisian starting 11
For this meeting, only one player is forfeited: it is Sergio Ramos. Still struggling with a calf, the former captain of Real Madrid will watch the match from the stands. Neymar, who has resumed collective training, will normally be at least on the bench. Like Gana Gueye and Abdou Diallo, the two winners of the Can are too fair to be a starter, said the PSG coach.
Possible starting 11: Navas, Marquinhos, Kimpembe, Hakimi, Mendes, Danilo, Verratti, Paredes, Messi, Di Maria and Mbappé
Finally, on closer inspection, PSG will not be far from its configuration “galactic” against Real which, for its part, presents a more collective face than during its last European coronations.
The Madrid club hope that Karim Benzema will be competitive for this meeting. The Les Bleus striker, who is recovering from a left leg injury, is on the trip to Paris but he may lack rhythm “I feel much better. We will see after training (this Monday evening) if I can play. It’s clear, I feel good but I need to have more feelings to know if I can play this game.”