PSG vs Real Madrid. Prediction and Preview. Probable Lineups, Team News, Stats and more
Paris Saint-Germain will host Real Madrid at Parc des Princes in the UEFA Champions League round of 16. The match will take place on February 15, beginning at 01:30 IST.
The Champions League is finally back! What’s more, it’s welcoming us with a fantastic match between two giants of European football. We finally get to see PSG and Real Madrid in action. The number of star players on one pitch will be astounding, and fans will be waiting to see who will emerge victorious from this clash.
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Paris Saint-Germain News & Current Form:
Paris Saint-Germain qualified for the Champions League play-offs from second place in the group stage of Europe’s premier club competition, where they lost first place to Manchester City.
In the group stage, the Parisians have recorded three victories and two peaceful outcomes, with the capital city netting 13 times. The Blues and Reds beat Brugge 4-1 on the last matchday.
Turning to the domestic tournaments: the Blues started well in the French Cup, beating the modest SC Feignies and Vannes at the start, but the third leg sent the 14-times trophy-winner out of that competition (OGC Nice put up a stiff fight and won on penalties).
Talking about Ligue 1, Mauricio Pochettino‘s side have recorded 18 wins and five draws in 24 tours, which have yielded 59 points, 13 more than their nearest pursuer Olympique de Marseille.
In the last round, PSG secured a home win over Rennes. Kylian Mbappe scored the only goal of the game in injury time: the Parisians had a terrible first half and were booed off by their own fans, who also put up banners in the stands that were not the most pleasing to the players.
After the break, the team did start to play noticeably better. But it seems that PSG did not want to exert themselves before the crucial UCL encounter with Real Madrid. The situation in the French championship is quite advantageous to save energy in some games.
It is important to note something else: PSG will be facing an encounter with a near-perfect squad. Only Neymar will not be able to play as reports say. However, there is a chance that the Brazilian will be kept out.
Real Madrid News & Current Form:
The Madrid side made it through the UEFA Champions League group stage in one breath, with Los Blancos holding on to first place in the group by a wide margin. The attacking line played particularly well, averaging more than two goals per game and beating a formidable Inter 2-0 in the last leg (they also defeated them in the first game).
In 2022, the Madridians won the Spanish Super Cup, in which they eleminated Barcelona and Athletic.
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Bilbao, however, took revenge on the Whites in the Spanish Cup quarter-finals, where Carlo Ancelotti‘s side failed to progress. This match seemed to be one of the most energy-consuming in recent memory as PSG, who have a lot of energy saved for the upcoming match, received a good example of how to act against Madrid.
Los Blancos, unlike the Parisians, have not closed questions on the national championship – all the fight is ahead. And all the matches are incredibly tense. Consequently, they do not have as much motivation and forces for the Champions League as they would like.
In the Spanish league, the Galacticos are firmly in the lead as of now, with 16 wins and six draws in 24 rounds to their credit, equating to 54 points – four more than the nearest pursuer. In February, the Spanish team beat Granada (1-0) narrowly, before sharing points with Villarreal (0-0).
It is impossible not to mention the team’s best performance in attack, with 48 goals scored. The team’s top scorer is experienced Karim Benzema (17 goals), whose appearance on the pitch is still in doubt due to a thigh injury, this will definitely have an impact on the game.
Paris Saint-Germain season form guide (all competitions): D-W-W-L-W-W
Real Madrid season form guide (all competitions): W-W-D-L-W-D
Paris Saint-Germain vs Real Madrid Head-To-Head Record:
| Paris Saint-Germain | Draw | Real Madrid |
| 3 | 3 | 4 |
The previous meeting between the two teams in the UEFA Champions League took place in the 2019-20 season, with PSG remaining unbeaten in both legs.
Paris Saint-Germain vs Real Madrid Predicted XI:
Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup: Gianluigi Donnarumma; Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Presnel Kimpembe, Nuno Mendes; Marco Verratti, Idrissa Gueye, Georginio Wijnaldum; Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Angel Di Maria.
Madrid possible starting lineup: Thibaut Courtois; Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, Nacho Fernandez, David Alaba; Luka Modric, Casemiro, Toni Kroos; Marco Asensio, Gareth Bale, Vinicius.
Statistical preview of the match Paris Saint-Germain vs Real Madrid:
- In this Champions League campaign, PSG is scoring an average of 2.2 goals per game. At the same time, Real Madrid has an average of 2.3 goals per game.
- PSG have not conceded in only one of their last 14 Champions League games.
- PSG’s defence has not conceded a goal in their last 5 home matches in all competitions.
- In their last 15 matches in all competitions, Real Madrid have suffered only two defeats. And in two of the last three games, the team’s defence has not been conceded a goal.
- In their last three meetings in Paris, the teams have not scored a combined total of more than three goals.
What has been said before the match:
Mauricio Pochettino:
“Given the players involved this could have been the final. PSG have been trying to win this trophy for 50 years, so we are the challengers. We have so much respect for Real Madrid as one of the best teams in the world. You don’t win 13 European Cups thanks to your coaches, that is down to the overall strength of the club.”
“We are the challengers, a lot of effort has gone into building a squad to achieve our dream but we’re still the challengers and Real Madrid are the ones who have a habit of winning the Champions League.”
said PSG boss.
Carlo Ancelotti:
“We’re confident for tomorrow. This game is good enough to be a Champions League final. We’re up for beating one of the main rivals for this cup.”
the experienced coach also confessed.
“I have fond memories of the time I spent here in PSG, I was connected to the fans, it’s one of the best clubs and it’s not easy to deal with the pressure of this club, Pochettino is doing a great job.”
“The only pressure we have for tomorrow is facing a great team like PSG, it’s more motivation than pressure. It’s not a difficult game to prepare, all the players are very motivated. It has to be a complete game from us tomorrow, both teams will try to produce when in possession and hit each other on counters. Our football is very alike.”
Paris Saint-Germain vs Real Madrid Prediction:
PSG are often very unimpressive in the French league, but this is hardly something to pay attention to. It has long been known that Paris’ main target is the Champions League. Here, the mood will be completely different. Including Leo Messi, who knows very well how to play against Real Madrid.
There is no doubt that Parisians will put everything on the line. You can be sure, the pressure on the guests in this game will be crazy from the first minute, there is absolutely no question that PSG will play number one and we do not particularly believe that the defense of the Whites can withstand it all. For Real Madrid, elimination will not be fatal as the team is in the process of rebuilding, also Los Blancos do look tired after endless battles in the domestic arena, whereas for the Parisians, the moment for triumph has arrived!
Parimatch News staff prediction: