UCL Match Preview: Real Madrid CF vs Paris Saint-Germain FC | OneFootball

Paris Saint-Germain will be looking to win again in the second leg of the Round of 16 fixture vs Real Madrid set to be played at the Santiago Bernabeu on March 9. Real Madrid will be looking to overturn the one-goal deficit from the first leg at the Parc des Princes.

Real Madrid should be at their best at Santiago Bernabeu when they face PSG. If they perform as they did in the first leg, the hopes of progressing to the next round can be dropped. The first leg performance was one of the worst performances of the Los Blancos this season.

Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe has been named in the squad for the Champions League last 16 second leg clash with Real Madrid on Wednesday despite nursing a sore left foot. On Monday, the 23-year-old World Cup winner was kicked in the foot in training but had a reassuring medical check-up. The club said he would have a final examination on Tuesday. Mbappe would be a huge loss were he not to play as he scored the only goal in the 1-0 victory over 13-time European champions Real in the first leg in Paris last month.

If he is fit, he could be facing his future club as Real seem to be in the driving seat to sign him when his contract expires in June, although PSG still hopes to persuade him to stay.

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti is optimistic about the second leg and he hopes to progress to the next round with a victory. “We are a very proud team and that performance hurt us pretty bad,” Ancelotti told a news conference on Tuesday.

“We are a proud team, mainly in a competition like the Champions League. So we will play for pride. We saw the best version of PSG in Paris. I wish to see the best version of Real Madrid on Wednesday.”

Team News:

Real Madrid CF: Carlo Ancelotti will not have the services of Casemiro and Mendy as they are suspended. Both had picked up yellow cards in Paris three weeks earlier. Nacho Fernadez or David Alaba will replace Mendy, and in midfield, it will be either Fede Valverde or Eduardo Camavinga. Toni Kroos is suffering from a hamstring injury, and he will probably be unavailable for selection.

PSG: Ex-Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos is set to miss out on a Bernabeu reunion due to his latest calf injury, but Achraf Hakimi and Leandro Paredes have made the squad.

Gianluigi Donnarumma can expect to return in goal for Keylor Navas this week, while Georginio Wijnaldum may drop out of the midfield after another uninspiring display at the Allianz Riviera.

Real Madrid vs PSG: Predicted line-ups:

Real Madrid predicted line-up: Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Marcelo; Camavinga, Valverde, Modric; Asensio, Benzema, Vinicius.

PSG predicted line-up: Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Kimpembe, Mendes; Pereira, Gueye, Verratti; Messi, Mbappe, Neymar.

Match Details:

Kick-off Time: 21:00 CET

Date: Wednesday, March 9

Venue: Santiago Bernabeu

Referee: Danny Makkelie