Champions League Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid will lock horns in the Champions League on Tuesday night, with both teams looking to secure an advantage in the first leg of their last-16 tie.
Real Madrid are currently at the top of the La Liga standings but have experienced a discernible slump in recent weeks. Los Blancos have an impressive attacking talent in their ranks and will need to be at their best to pull off a positive result at the Parc des Princes. PSG, on the other hand, have carved out a 13-point lead at the top of the Ligue 1 table and can afford to focus all their resources on what has been an elusive Champions League trophy. The Parisians have been inconsistent this season and will need to be wary of one of Europe’s most formidable opponents this week.
Form Guide: Real Madrid
Madrid comfortably topped Group D with 15 points to advance to the knockout round of the competition, and they are chasing a double this season, currently sitting top of La Liga, four points ahead of second-placed Sevilla following Saturday’s goalless draw with Villarreal.
Real Madrid have won six, drawn three, and lost seven of their previous 16 away matches against Ligue 1 clubs, while they have won four, drawn three, and lost three of their 10 matches against PSG in all competitions, with their last two meetings coming in the group stage of the 2019-20 tournament.
Form Guide: PSG
Pochettino’s side will enter Tuesday’s contest off the back of a 1-0 victory over Rennes in Ligue 1 on Friday, which has left them 16 points clear at the top of the table, so they will be able to put a lot of focus on their Champions League challenge, with the first leg of their last-16 tie taking place on Tuesday night ahead of the return fixture at Bernabeu on March 9.
The capital outfit was not at their best in the group stage of this season’s competition, picking up 11 points from six matches, but the total was enough to see them finish second in Group A behind Manchester City.
How the match could go
Real Madrid have a slight edge over PSG and have won four out of 10 matches played between the two teams, as opposed to PSG’s three victories.
The previous meeting between the two teams in the knock-out stages of the Champions League took place in the 2017-18 season and witnessed an aggregate victory for Real Madrid.
However, PSG have players in their ranks with a lot to prove and a team with Mbappe and Messi in attack can surely come up with magic at any point in time.
Betting Predictions
PSG to Win
While it’s always difficult to predict the outcome of a duel between two giants like PSG and Real Madrid, we feel that PSG will manage to get the win in the first leg at home.
After all, PSG are in a bit better form right now, although both teams are leading their respective leagues and they’ve both been recently eliminated from their domestic cups. Bet9ja have 2.03, 1xbet have 2.04 and Paripesa have 2.04 odds.
Over 2.5 Goals
All five previous head-to-head meetings between PSG and Real Madrid have gone over 2.5 total goals and we see no reason why this game should be any different.
Furthermore, PSG averaged 3.50 goals per game so far in the Champions League, while Real Madrid averaged 2.83 goals per game through the first six games in the competition. Bet9ja have 1.63 odds, Paripesa have 1.72 and 1xbet have 1.72.
Anytime Goalscorer (Real Madrid)
Benzema
Karim Benzema has found the back of the net in his last four Champions League matches and could become only the third player in the history of the competition to score in five consecutive games in the competition. We are certain he could find the back of the net here today. Bet9ja have 2.80 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 2.60.
Vinicius JR
The Brazilian has been impressive this campaign making sure to repay his coach’s faith in him this season. He has scored 12 goals this La Liga campaign and 2 in the Champions League this season. This should be reason enough to include him here. Bet9ja have 3.60 odds and Paripesa have 3.50 odds for him to score.
Anytime Goalscorer (PSG)
Mbappe
Kylian Mbappé was PSG’s injury-time hero against Rennes, three of his four UCL goals this term came inside the opening ten minutes. He has made sure to be amongst the goals this season with him being the highest scorer for his side this campaign. If PSG is to go on and win this game, he sure is going to score today. Bet9ja have 2.25 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 2.00.
Lionel Messi
The Argentinian seems to have a lot of luck scoring goals in this competition as he was the team’s most decisive goal-scorer in the group stage. Today, he relives his glory days and faces a familiar foe in which he has scored over 20 goals against in all competitions. If anyone is to break this Madrid defense line, it is none other than Messi. Bet9ja have 2.50 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 2.00
Football Lover. All-round junkie of the beautiful game. Could be found watching football most of the time. If not he’s writing about them or making some punditry you don’t agree with. A certain bias for Arsenal and Santos FC.
