PSG v Real Madrid: Who's got the edge in this clash of the heavyweights?

The Champions League is finally back. After months of anticipation, and a COVID-infested winter period, Europe’s elite competition returns for the round of 16, with the pick of the games going to Real Madrid versus Paris Saint-Germain — two favourites to go all the way to Russia come May. Talks of the Super League and changes to the tournament format have really overshadowed how great the current system is, and if things are to be shaken up in a couple of years, then football fans need to make the most of what they have while it’s here.

The tie brings together the new and old where elite football is concerned. Madrid come in as 13-time champions, littered in European silverware and eager to add to it, whereas PSG’s wealth and influence, spearheaded by Lionel Messi, perhaps the greatest footballer to ever grace the beautiful game, will be eager to write their own name in the history books, bringing their own fairy-tale to the City of Love.

Neither side were able to capture their respective domestic titles last season, with Lille and Atlético Madrid ended the duopoly of Ligue 1 and La Liga, respectively. However, with both sides currently top of the table, their attention can turn to what promises to be a special European tie — first under the floodlights at the Parc des Princes, then an enthralling return at the Santiago Bernabéu. Read on, as we weigh up our football betting options in this clash of the titans.

PSG

Certainly, the new kids on the block where Champions League football is concerned, PSG’s abundance of wealth has skyrocketed them to the cream of the crop in European football — reaching the final in 2020, but coming up short to Bayern Munich behind closed doors. Mauricio Pochettino was appointed to ensure that night in Lisbon wasn’t the pinnacle of their success, and with a transfer warchest at his disposal, recruited a plethora of elite players from each corner of Europe to help boost his chances.

Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Georginio Wijnaldum all arrived for free, while Achraf Hakimi was prized from Inter Milan as the Parisians finished second in Group A behind Manchester City. With so many new players coming in there was bound to be some inconsistency in the teething stages of the season, but now Messi looks to have found his feet, and with the old guard in Kylian Mbappé and Neymar firing on all cylinders, they will certainly give Madrid some headaches.

Ramos being fit could prove significant, as this emotional PSG team need a level head, and the Spaniard’s calming presence will really help turn the nearly men into serial winners. You just wonder if there is enough composure amongst the group to get over the line in what will be a tough task.

Real Madrid

On paper, this Real Madrid side certainly isn’t as strong as the one that captured the elusive ‘Decima’ in 2014, nor as good as Zinedine Zidane’s Los Blancos that won three consecutive Champions Leagues between 2016 and 2018. However, Carlo Ancelotti is back in the dugout for his second stint in charge in the Spanish capital and he is slowly sculpting a side in his image — with Karim Benzema as the talisman.

The return of Ancelotti has garnered Benzema with more responsibility, something the Frenchman is thriving off. Having spent over a decade at the club now, departures of big players have meant he is finally the main man at the Bernabéu, and given the space he can cause this fragile PSG defence some damage.

Eden Hazard looks to have rediscovered some of the form that led to Real forking out £89 million for the Belgian in 2019, while a new look backline with David Alaba and Éder Militão ensured Real finished top of Group D, although a hiccup against Moldovan side Sheriff certainly exposed a lot of weaknesses in the team’s initial tactical approach.

The verdict

It’s so easy to make a compelling argument for either side given the quality they possess. It will certainly be a close game to call. Both sides garner so much attacking talent and have demonstrated they can leak goals if properly threatened. The Messi factor could well be a game changer, as the Argentine will be desperately to mark his first campaign in France with another Champions League for his collection, but Real’s wily midfield triumvirate of Casemiro, Toni Kroos and Luka Modrić rarely get outrun despite their age and may see too much of the ball for PSG to create significant chances.

The first leg will prove decisive and whoever wins that will carry a lot of momentum into their domestic season as well as the replay in March. Madrid should just edge it.