Prior to Wednesday night Champions League clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, the two teams are standing on opposite poles. PSG have suffered a shock solitary goal Ligue 1 defeat against Nice – it once again underlined how important is Kylian Mbappe’s presence in the squad this season, while Real Madrid defeated Real Sociedad 4-1 in La Liga, which probably was Los Blancos’ best performance in a long time. Naturally, Carlo Ancelotti was delighted with Real Madrid’s win and said they could take confidence from it ahead of the PSG second leg tie. Speaking afterwards, he said: “I think all Real Madrid fans believe in the comeback even more after this. It was an important match for La Liga first and foremost, but it now gives us even more confidence. We have to have that same intensity. I think we can repeat this performance.”
Nice, confident words from the coach, but can this be really translated into reality? PSG are already having the upper hand on virtue of their first leg victory. The defeat against Nice shouldn’t be taken as their weakness. Having already taken a huge lead in the Ligue 1 table, the Parisians went to the Nice match with a cautious approach. True, Mbappe couldn’t play because of suspension, but otherwise, too, Mauricio Pochettino would have decided to rest him for the match. Mbappe wasn’t the lone absentee. Against Real Madrid, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Presnel Kimpembe are also likely to be recalled after being given the night off against Nice. Idrissa Gana Gueye, who only made a brief appearance, will also be there to strengthen PSG. The point, however, is, will Lionel Messi be back in his real self against Real? Against Nice, he had a forgettable outing along with Neymar. But how long Messi could be expected to keep silent, especially in crucial matches. Of course, he wasn’t at his best in the first leg, but he has a reputation of turning dangerous against Los Blancos since his Barcelona days. PSG will be hoping for a repeat show on Wednesday.