Edinson Cavani (R) and Kylian Mbappe will lead PSG attack in Neymar’s absence. (AP Photo)
No Neymar. That will be the subtitle for the duration of the Round of 16 second leg match between Real Madrid and Paris St Germain. Considering their domination in the French Ligue 1 and their financial might, PSG have a rather ordinary record in the Champions League and are yet to progress beyond the quarter finals since the last five seasons. They were famously eliminated in the Round of 16 stage last year by Barcelona (6-1, Sergi Roberto, Michael Owen, Rio Ferdinand jumping around in the TV studio et all). Their record in the knockout stages of the Champions League since being acquired by Nasser Al-Khelaifi shows that PSG have done little to show that they could dislodge juggernauts like Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich from their status as title contenders at the start of every season.
And yet, just the splash they made this summer with the twin signings of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, coupled with the former’s blistering form throughout the season, meant that PSG fans came to Santiago Bernabeu with the expectation of beating Real Madrid. Real’s uncharacteristically poor form this season in Europe and in Spain also played a key factor in creating that illusion. Unfortunately for Unai Emery’s side, that was all it was – an illusion. Just when it started to look like they PSG take a draw from Madrid with a bonus away goal, Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo banged in two goals and gave the defending European champions a two-goal lead going into the second leg. To makes things worse for PSG, Neymar got injured and had to undergo surgery in a French Cup quarter final game against Marseille, ruling him out of a fixture that looked tailor-made for him to justify his nonsensical price tag.
They face a Real Madrid side that is dealing with demons of its own. Since beating PSG, they have won four of their last five matches but, Real being Real, the one defeat against Espanyol does stand out. Secondly, the availability of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric is under a question mark. There is also the tiny bit of history that is against them – Paris St Germain have eliminated Real Madrid in their two previous knockout encounters (1992/93 UEFA Cup and 1993/94 Cup Winners Cup).
But it is clear that this is now Real Madrid’s tie to lose. A 3-1 first leg lead always puts you in the driver’s seat. For PSG, this is a chance to prove that they are more than just the money. Angel Di Maria has enjoyed a resurgence in recent games and the likes of Julian Draxler and Kylian Mbappe have the goods to turn a match in their favour. Edinson Cavani has played a better part of his PSG career under the Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s regal shadow and now he is playing under Neymar’s. There has never been a better opportunity for him to step out into the sunlight he enjoyed while with Napoli.
The last time a Spanish giant played at the Parc des Princes, PSG gave them a night to forget. Doing something similar would yield them positive results on multiple levels.
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