Big Match Feature: Real Madrid v PSG

football09 March 2022 09:15

Real Madrid face a first-leg deficit as Paris Saint-Germain come to the Santiago Bernabéu for the second leg of their Uefa Champions League round of 16 tie with a lead to defend thanks to a late moment of inspiration from Kylian Mbappe.

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The France international scored the only goal of the first game at the Parc des Princes four minutes into added time,giving Paris a narrow advantage they had looked unlikely to earn after Lionel Messi's penalty had earlier been saved by Thibaut Courtois.

Madrid eliminated Paris at this stage of the 2017/18 Uefa Champions League en route to winning the competition for the third year running, although the French club had come out on top in the two previous knockout ties between the clubs.

This season Paris were forced to settle for second place behind 2020/21 runners-up Manchester City in Group A,while Madrid held off Inter to claim first place in Group D.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS

Thomas Tuchel's Paris got the better of a Real Madrid side coached by Zinédine Zidane in the 2019/20 group stage,picking up four points from their two games. Goals from former Madrid midfielder Ángel Di María (14, 33) and Thomas Meunier (90+1) secured a 3-0 home win at the Parc des Princes on Matchday 1 before Mbappé (81) and Pablo Sarabia (83) rescued a point for Paris at the Santiago Bernabéu on Matchday 5 after Karim Benzema had scored twice for the Spanish side (17, 79).

Each of the sides now has four wins in their 11 meetings, although Paris's success in the first leg of this tie stretched their unbeaten run against Madrid to three matches (W2 D1). The French side have also outscored their opponents,hitting 15 goals to Madrid's 13.

This is the teams' second meeting in the Uefa Champions League round of 16, eventual champions Madrid winning3-1 in Spain in 2017/18 with Marcelo on the scoresheet after Cristiano Ronaldo's double, and 2-1 in Paris, Ronaldo again and Casemiro finding the net for Madrid.

Madrid's 2015/16 Uefa Champions League triumph had also featured a win against Paris, a 1-0 group stage victory at the Santiago Bernabéu in which Nacho got the only goal. The game at the Parc des Princes finished scoreless.• Paris have lost three of their five away games against Madrid, the one victory their Uefa Cup Winners' Cup quarterfinal first leg in March 1994 when George Weah scored the only goal at the Bernabéu in a tie Paris won 2-1 on aggregate.

The French side produced a memorable comeback in the 1992/93 Uefa Cup quarterfinals, turning round a 3-1 lossin Spain with a 4-1 home victory. Three of the four goals at the Parc des Princes came from the 80th minute onwards; David Ginola (81) and Valdo (87) made it 3-0 to Paris on the night and, though Iván Zamorano levelled for Madrid on aggregate in added time, there was still time for Antoine Kombouaré to win the tie for Paris.• Paris's first-leg win in this tie was only their second success in their last eight games against Madrid (D3 L3).• Marcelo scored Madrid's goal in a 3-1 defeat by Paris in an Ohio friendly in 2016.

FORM GUIDE

REAL MADRID

Madrid won five of their six Group D games, the exception a stunning 2-1 defeat at home to debutants Sheriff on Matchday 2, as they finished first in their section for the third time in four seasons. Their other home games brought wins against Shakhtar Donetsk (2-1) and Inter (2-0).

Under Zidane, Madrid also finished first in their section in 2020/21, picking up six of their ten points against Inter and sealing progress as group winners with a 2-0 home defeat of Borussia Mönchengladbach on Matchday 6.

Madrid then won both legs against Atalanta in the round of 16 (1-0 a, 3-1 h) before eliminating Liverpool in thequarter-finals (3-1 h, 0-0 a). They lost to eventual champions Chelsea in the semifinals (1-1 h, 0-2 a).

The Spanish side have won only seven of their last 15 home European games (D3 L5) although they have beenvictorious in six of the most recent eight (D1 L1).

Zidane was replaced by former Paris coach Carlo Ancelotti in the summer, the Italian having guided Madrid to theirtenth European Cup in 2013/14.

The Spanish side were second in the 2020/21 Liga, finishing two points behind neighbours Atlético. Having reached the semifinals or better for eight successive seasons between 2010/11 and 2017/18, Madrid lost inthe last 16 against Ajax in 2018/19 and Manchester City the following season. Last season's win against Atalanta made their overall record at this stage W10 L8.

Madrid had scored in 23 successive round of 16 matches before failing to find the net at the Parc des Princes. Theyhad last drawn a blank at Lyon in the 2009/10 first leg (1-2 aggregate).

The first-leg loss in Paris was just Madrid's second defeat in their last 14 matches against French opposition (W8D4), the other the Matchday 1 reverse against the Parisians in 2019/20.

• The Merengues had conceded only two goals in seven games against French sides before shipping five in their twomatches against Paris two seasons ago; they scored 15 goals themselves in that seven-game period (W6 D1).• Madrid's record at home to Ligue 1 clubs is W11 D4 L1, the sole defeat that 1994 loss to Paris.

While Madrid have lost two of their three two-legged knockout ties with Paris, their 2017/18 success made their overall knockout record against French clubs W4 L4.

Madrid have overturned a first-leg away defeat 23 times, failing on a further 16 occasions, although they were victorious on the last occasion, against Wolfsburg in the 2015/16 Uefa Champions League quarter-finals (0-2 a, 3-0h) to end a run of five successive defeats. That Lyon defeat in the 2009/10 round of 16 made their aggregate recordW6 L6 when losing 1-0 away first, the previous three ties having all been won.

• Madrid's record in four Uefa penalty shoot-outs is W2 L2:

5-6 v Crvena zvezda, 1974/75 European Cup Winners' Cup quarterfinal

3-1 v Juventus, 1986/87 European Champion Clubs' Cup second round1-3 v Bayern München, 2011/12 Uefa Champions League semifinal

5-3 v Atlético de Madrid, 2015/16 Uefa Champions League final

PSG

• Paris picked up 11 points in this season's group stage, nine coming from their home matches. They failed to winaway, however, drawing in Bruges (1-1) and Leipzig (2-2) and losing 2-1 in Manchester on Matchday 5 to beconfirmed in second place.

• Runners-up to Bayern München in the 2019/20 Uefa Champions League final, losing 1-0 in Lisbon, Paris againreached the latter stages of last season's competition.

• A team coached by Tuchel were first in Group H last season, picking up 12 points to finish level with Leipzig butabove them on head-to-head record with Manchester United third and Istanbul Basaksehir fourth. Paris won four oftheir group games, losing at home to United and in Leipzig.

• With Mauricio Pochettino having replaced Tuchel, Paris got the better of Barcelona (4-1 a, 1-1 h) and Bayern (3-2 a,0-1 h) in the knockout stages before losing to Manchester City in the semifinals (1-2 h, 0-2 a).

Paris were without a win in four Uefa Champions League games (D1 L3) before beating Manchester City 2-0 onMatchday 2. The first-leg win against Madrid made it five victories in their last 12 matches (D3 L4).

Paris have been victorious in ten of their last 21 away Uefa Champions League fixtures (D4 L7), but are without awin in their last four (D2 L2).

• This is the French side's tenth successive Uefa Champions League campaign and 14th in total, two behind Lyon'snational record.

• Although Paris missed out on the Ligue 1 title for only the second time in nine years in 2020/21, finishing second a point behind LOSC Lille, they did win the French Cup for the record 14th time overall and the sixth time in seven seasons.

• Paris's round of 16 record is W6 L3; last season's victory against Barcelona was their second in a row, a 2019/20comeback win against Borussia Dortmund (1-2 a, 2-0 h) having ended a run of three consecutive round of 16eliminations that started with a remarkable tie against Barcelona in 2016/17 (4-0 h, 1-6 a) and also included their 2017/18 loss against Madrid.

• The French club's record in two-legged ties against Spanish sides is W6 L4, last season's win against Barcelona ending a run of four defeats.

• The first leg against Madrid was only Paris's fourth win in their last 14 matches against Spanish clubs, home and away (D3 L7).

• The 2-2 draw at Real Madrid in 2019 ended Paris's run of five successive defeats away to Liga clubs, with three goals scored and 15 conceded in that sequence of defeats.

• The 4-1 first-leg win against Barcelona last season ended Paris's run of three successive away knockout defeats inSpain, with two goals scored and 11 conceded.

• The Parc des Princes outfit have won 12 of 17 European ties in which they won the first leg at home, although the last such occasion ended in that remarkable loss to Barcelona in 2016/17. Paris have won the home first leg 1-0 only once before, against Celtic in the 1995/96 Uefa Cup Winners' Cup second round (3-0 a).

The last game Pochettino took charge of in Madrid was the 2019 Uefa Champions League final at the Estadio Metropolitano, which resulted in a 2-0 defeat for his Tottenham side against Liverpool.

• Paris's European penalty shoot-out record is W0 L1:

3-4 v Rangers, 2001/02 Uefa Cup third round

LINKS AND TRIVIA

• Ancelotti was Paris coach between 30 December 2011 and 19 May 2013, winning the Ligue 1 title in his only fullseason in charge.

• Sergio Ramos scored 101 goals in 671 games for Madrid in all competitions between 2005 and leaving to join Parisin 2021. Two of those came in the club's Uefa Champions League final victories against Atlético de Madrid in 2014and 2016, Ramos also appearing in the final victories in 2017 and 2018. He also won the Uefa Super Cup in 2014,2016 and 2017 and the Fifa Club World Cup in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018 in addition to five Liga titles and the Copadel Rey in 2011 and 2014.

• Keylor Navas was in goal for Real Madrid's three successive Uefa Champions League victories between 2016 and2018; he made 162 appearances for the Merengues between 2014 and joining Paris in 2019, winning the Liga title in2016/17, two Uefa Super Cups (2014, 2017) and four Fifa Club World Cups (2014, 2016, 2017, 2018).

• Di María made 124 Liga appearances for Madrid between 2010 and 2015, scoring 22 goals, and was named Man ofthe Match as the Merengues lifted their tenth European title in 2014 with a 4-1 victory over neighbours Atlético.

• Ferland Mendy, who is suspended for this match, was a youth player at Paris between 2004 and 2012.

• Achraf Hakimi played 17 matches for Madrid in 2017/18, including two in the club's victorious Uefa Champions League campaign.

• Messi scored 672 goals in 778 games for Barcelona before joining Paris last summer, winning the Uefa ChampionsLeague in 2006, 2009, 2011 and 2015, three Uefa Super Cups and three Fifa Club World Cups. He also collectedten Liga titles and won the Copa del Rey seven times.

• Twenty-six of Messi's Barcelona goals came in his 45 meetings against Madrid, against whom his record was W19D11 L15. No player has scored more in the Clásico.

• Messi scored twice in Barcelona's 2-0 win at Madrid in the 2010/11 Uefa Champions League semifinal first leg,setting up a 3-1 aggregate victory.

• Have also played in Spain:

Neymar (Barcelona 2013–17)
Ander Herrera (Real Zaragoza 2008–11, Athletic Club 2011–14)

• Neymar's record against Madrid with Barcelona was W4 D1 L3, with three goals scored.• Mauro Icardi played in Spain for Sarratea, Vecindario and Barcelona at youth level.

• Have played together:

Danilo & Éder Militão (Porto 2018/19)

• Benzema faced Paris seven times during his time in France with Lyon (W4 D2 L1). He was part of the Lyon teamthat beat Paris 1-0 in the Coupe de France final in May 2008.

• Have also played in France:

Ferland Mendy (Le Havre 2015–17, Lyon 2017–19)
Eduardo Camavinga (Rennes 2019–21)
Mariano Díaz (Lyon 2017/18)
Eden Hazard (LOSC Lille 2005–12)

• International team-mates:

Éder Militão, Casemiro, Marcelo, Rodrygo, Vinícius Júnior & Marquinhos, Neymar (Brazil)Ferland Mendy, Karim Benzema, Eduardo Camavinga & Presnel Kimpembe, Kylian Mbappé, Laywin Kurzawa(France)

Eduardo Camavinga & Colin Dagba (France U21)

Dani Carvajal, Nacho, Marco Asensio, Isco, Lucas Vázquez & Sergio Ramos, Ander Herrera (Spain)Toni Kroos & Julian Draxler, Thilo Kehrer (Germany)

• On 6 October 2021, Mbappé scored past Courtois as France defeated Belgium 3-2 in the UEFA Nations League9Real Madrid CF - Paris Saint-Germain Wednesday 9 March 2022 - 21.00CET (21.00 local time)

Match press kit Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid

semifinal in Turin.

• Paris coach Pochettino had two spells in Spain as an Espanyol player, facing Madrid 16 times (W5 D2 L9) andscoring once. As Espanyol coach between 2009 and 2012, he lost all seven of his meetings with the Merengues.• Pochettino was also in charge of the Tottenham side that drew 1-1 at Madrid in the 2017/18 Uefa ChampionsLeague group stage, the English club subsequently winning 3-1 at home.

• Draxler's Wolfsburg beat Madrid 2-0 in the first leg of the 2015/16 quarter finals; he was also in the side thatsuccumbed in a 3-0 second-leg turnaround in Spain.

Big Match Feature: Real Madrid v PSG

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