PSG vs Real Madrid Predictions & Match Preview

PSG vs Real Madrid predictions and match preview for Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League fixture. Read on for the head-to-head, team news and predicted lineups as Los Blancos begin the knockout stage in the French capital.

PSG vs Real Madrid Preview

A scintillating clash between two of Europe’s elite is set to take place in the French capital this week, with PSG finally looking to end their hunt for Europe’s most prestigious title by knocking out thirteen times winners Real Madrid. Many old friendships and rivalries will be rekindled and this fixture could prove to be a classic. 

Despite a strong lead at the top of Ligue 1, the Parisians have failed to hit any consistency this season with many domestic fixtures bringing results but not performances. A 5-1 win against champions Lille on Matchday 23 seemed to be a turning point for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, but that was quickly dismantled as they struggled to earn victory against Rennes on Friday night with Kylian Mbappe once again proving to be the team’s star man, placing a last-minute winner into the bottom corner. 

After an underwhelming start to the season, club captain Marquinhos has been able to hit form in recent weeks with the same being able to be said about Lionel Messi, who has racked up three goals and seven assists in his last ten games. Kylian Mbappe may look to be heading to the Spanish capital on a free transfer this summer, however he has reassured PSG fans in recent weeks that 100% of his focus is on winning this tie and assisting the French club in winning their first ever European cup. 

Real Madrid, on the other hand, had been in fine form for almost the entire season up until the past few weeks. From late October until early December, Carlo Ancelotti’s men won ten games on the bounce including impressive wins against Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan but have failed to maintain their form after winning the Spanish Supercopa last month. 

An injury to star striker Karim Benzema has led to Los Blancos winning only one of their past four matches and in spite of a strong second half performance against Villarreal last weekend, lack of sharpness up front led to Real drawing in a goalless affair with the Yellow Submarine.

Worryingly for Madridistas, this run of games is said to be an omen by speculators, with many drawing comparisons from Ancelotti’s first two seasons in charge (from 2013 until 2015) when impressive runs at the start of the season turned out meaningless as their campaigns ended empty handed domestically as a lack of rotation from the Italian led to a pile up of injuries and Atletico and Barça respectively snatching the league title.

Head to Head

• Last 6 Competitive Meetings: 1 PSG Win, 3 Real Madrid Wins, 2 Draws.
• The sides drew 2-2 in the most recent meeting which was in Madrid in the group stage in 2019.
• PSG won the reverse fixture 3-0 in Paris during that campaign.
• However they’ve not won any of the other competitive meetings between the clubs this century and lost both legs of a clash between the clubs at this stage in the 2017/18 UCL.

Team News

Neymar, Georginio Wijnaldum, Leandro Paredes and former Real Madrid star Angel Di Maria face a fight against time ahead of this clash, however they all participated in PSG’s most recent training session so could be available for this match, at least off the bench for Mauricio Pochettino. Legendary Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos is unavailable for PSG in this match after a recent thigh injury and he will aim to be back for the second leg.

For the first time this season, Carlo Ancelotti has all twenty-five of the players in his squad to choose from, although Karim Benzema, Ferland Mendy and Mariano Diaz do not appear to be at 100% and Ancelotti may have to decide whether to risk them or not. If Benzema doesn’t make it, Gareth Bale could start after returning to Los Merengues’ line-up last weekend and putting in an impressive shift.

Possible Lineups

PSG vs Real Madrid Predictions

Score Prediction: PSG 1-1 Real Madrid

With both sides failing to reach their heights in recent weeks, a goal fest appears unlikely and a more conservative affair could take place. If they start without their main forward and best player, expect Real to defend as a team and hit the French side on the break, looking to achieve a close result and finish the tie off in the second leg next month at the Santiago Bernabeu.

UEFA Champions League Match Previews

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