Aiming to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg at the Parc des Princes, Real Madrid play host to Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at the Bernabeu on Wednesday night.
A Kylian Mbappe strike in the dying embers was all that could separate the two sides in Paris as both capital giants prepare for another clash of the giants here.
Facing his biggest admirers – who tried and failed to prise him away from the Parc des Princes with a nine-figure sum in the summer transfer window – Kylian Mbappe may not be warmly embraced by all in Madrid if his strike proves to be the one that ended Los Blancos’ Champions League dreams.
Ahead of an anticipated free transfer to Carlo Ancelotti’s side for the 2022-23 season, Mbappe weaved through a sea of white shirts and slotted home calmly past Thibaut Courtois – who had kept out Lionel Messi’s penalty earlier on the night – to give PSG the upper hand in the behemoth of a tie.
Form guide: PSG
PSG have lost twice since their home win over Real Madrid and they’ll need to improve on that when they visit the Santiago Bernabeu for the return leg in the round of 16 away to Rap Madrid. Hosts Real Madrid on the other hand have managed three straight wins since their late defeat in Paris and will go into this game very confident.
The first loss was in Nantes, 3-1, and after that, the Parisians beat St Etienne with the same result, only at home. The most recent event was in Nice, and the hosts beat the Saints once again this year, with the final result 1-0.
Form guide: Real Madrid
Real Madrid defeated Real Sociedad 4-1, this Saturday night. They were down 0-1 early on but quickly turned the result upside down to demolish the rivals and create a good intro for Wednesday’s event. This victory came following two more, both with clean sheets.
The first was against Alaves at Santiago Bernabeu, 3-0, and after that on the road vs. Rayo Vallecano, 0-1. A victory over Sociedad was the first match after six straights in which Real played that didn’t end with just one side netting. Los Blancos’ European pedigree is not up for debate, though, and Ancelotti’s side has at least responded to that setback in an ideal fashion.
How the match could go
Ancelotti’s side is certainly welcoming PSG to the Bernabeu at a good time, with Los Blancos embarking on a 13-game unbeaten run on home soil since defeating Sheriff Tiraspol back in September, and Les Parisiens’ did not prepare for the second leg in an ideal fashion.
PSG suffered three consecutive last-16 exits between 2017 and 2019 and won the first leg by at least two goals on two of those occasions, so Les Parisiens will be fully aware that the tie is not dead and buried just yet, especially with Pochettino failing to win any of his last four away games in the Champions League.
Betting Predictions
Over 2.5
With Mbappe fresh and raring to go, PSG can certainly carve their way through an unfamiliar Real Madrid midfield, and attack may be the best form of defense for the visitors as they attempt to build on their slender advantage. Both sides would be looking to get ahead early on here today and probably throw caution to the win as the tie is still anyone’s to lose.
Last month’s encounter between Real Madrid and PSG produced under 2.5 goals and we’re not expecting more of the same from Wednesday’s clash. Both sides would be raring upfront and we expect some fireworks. Bet9ja have 1.58, 1xbet have 1.66 and Paripesa have 1.66 odds.
BTTS (Yes)
We’re backing both teams scoring on Wednesday despite the 1st leg only producing a solitary goal for PSG and we expect the reverse fixtures to be as close and competitive. Both teams have somewhat of a lackluster defense which either manager would be looking to exploit here today. We know that the previous fixture should have ended with much more goals as chances were missed on both ends.
We expect both teams not to be wasteful here today and capitalize on any opportunities provided for them to score a goal today and get the tie in their favor. Bet9ja have 1.50 odds, Paripesa have 1.57, and 1xbet have 1.57 odds.
Anytime Goalscorer (PSG)
Mbappe
Mbappe headed straight back into the first XI as the Real Madrid-linked man returns from his domestic ban. Although it came in injury time, Kylian Mbappé’s brilliant first-leg winner means he’s netted the opener in all four of his UCL goalscoring appearances this term, making him a prime candidate for the goals here. Bet9ja have 2.50 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 2.30.
Neymar
His return from injury hasn’t been what the fans and his manager had hoped would be like for the Brazilian. He has scored just once for his side after coming back from injury and it looks like he is starting to adapt to game time. He is not one to shy away from the big games and today might be another day for him to get on the score sheet and prove his worth. Bet9ja have 3.35 odds and Paripesa have 2.80 odds for him to score.
Anytime Goalscorer (Real Madrid)
Benzema
Benzema has been on the score sheet for this Madrid team in three successive games, scoring the winners in each of them. Nothing much should be said of how great a season the Frenchman has had till now. He has scored 20 goals already in the LaLiga this season, prompting us to include him here. He hasn’t stopped scoring since the first Leg and we don’t think he will now. Bet9ja have 2.80 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 2.40.
Vinicius
After blowing away fans and his teammates with a superb start to the season he seems to have relaxed a bit with the goals. Although he has three goal contributions in three games, he has just the lone goal to back it. He would surely be upfront supporting Benzema his teammate and we know how lethal they can be when they combine well. Bet9ja have 3.30 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 3.20.
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.
