Karim Benzema is part of the Real Madrid problem as PSG's prince Neymar prepares to become king

Matt Jones - Editor 16:59 13/02/2018
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  • PSG are without a host of stars, including Edinson Cavani and Neymar.

    Real Madrid will be raring to go as they prepare to welcome Paris Saint-Germain to the Bernabeu on Wednesday as the Champions League resumes for the knockout stages.

    A few weeks ago, Los Blancos may not have been looking forward to this tussle as they’ve fallen off the pace dramatically domestically, while not enough of their star players have shone.

    But four straight wins in the league plus the return to form of talisman Cristiano Ronaldo will have boosted them.

    PSG, meanwhile, will travel to the Spanish capital in high spirits, having lost just once in 15 games in all competitions since their final group game in December.

    Here are some of the key tactical talking points ahead of the encounter…

    WILL ZIDANE FINALLY BENCH BENZEMA?

    Karim Benzema has come under-fire from critics.

    Real boss Zinedine Zidane has stuck by fellow Frenchman Karim Benzema, so a massive question is will he continue to do so despite a drastic loss of form in front of goal?

    The former Lyon man offers more than a goal threat, this is clear. He’s industrious and his link up play is underrated, but with the wealth of talent Madrid have in their attacking midfield ranks, it would surely pay for Zidane to drop Benzema and add a midfielder to the mix, like Isco or Marco Asensio.

    Real don’t really rely on their strikers, with Benzema one of a few out-and-out striking options they possess, Borja Mayoral the only other centre-forward.

    But whereas Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Toni Kroos and Isco have found form in front of goal in recent weeks, Benzema is on course for his worst goalscoring season in a white shirt.

    He’s scored just once in his last 11 games and has found the net only six times in 25 games. He scored nine in 33 during his debut 2009/10 campaign, but his strikes have steadily risen since. Only last term did he start to decline, with 19 goals the first time in seven seasons he’d dipped under 20.

    He wasted three clear chances in Saturday’s 5-2 defeat of Real Sociedad where even amid some flowing football, Benzema was jeered by some in the crowd.

    WILL EMERY THROW CAUTION TO THE WIND AND ATTACK MADRID?

    Unai Emery 1

    PSG manager Unai Emery will still have the memory of Barcelona’s thrilling comeback at this stage last year in the front of his mind. After a scintillating display in the first leg in Paris, in which the hosts thrashed Barca 4-0, they were undone in the Camp Nou by an extraordinary Blaugrana revival as they stormed back to win 6-1.

    What will Emery’s approach be this time? With the second leg in Paris, the French side will come in as slight favourites. It just depends whether they have the mental fortitude to keep thoughts of last year’s exit out of their minds.

    Although Madrid have steadied the ship in recent weeks, they still appear all at sea and a rampant, free-scoring PSG could cause them all sorts of problems. With the likes of Neymar, Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe let loose on a suspect defence, Emery should opt for a bold, attacking approach in the first leg to put Madrid on the back foot.

    PSG might play in a weaker league but they possess few weaknesses on paper. However, in the seven years since their money-spinning takeover, the French giants are still yet to go beyond the quarter-finals. Dumping out the reigning champions would provide a real statement to the rest of the competition.

    BOTH BOSS’S SEASONS WILL BE DEFINED BY EUROPE

    The pressure is building on Real boss Zinedine Zidane.

    After an abysmal start to the defence of their La Liga title, the Champions League represents the last opportunity for Real Madrid to salvage their season.

    Woefully out of contention in the league – Real are a dismal fourth and 17 points adrift of leaders Barcelona – they were eliminated from the Copa del Rey by lowly Leganes.

    Zinedine Zidane needs to win an unprecedented third successive European title to have any hope of remaining Madrid boss beyond the end of this season.

    Unai Emery, meanwhile, has no such concerns domestically. PSG are sitting pretty atop Ligue 1, 12 points ahead of reigning champions Monaco, and comfortably through to the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France.

    However, Emery will largely be judged on his performances in Europe this season. PSG are expected to complete a clean sweep of all domestic trophies in France but the season will still be deemed a disappointment if they do not go far in the Champions League.

    A PASSING OF THE TORCH

    video-birthday-battle-spain-la-liga-real-madrid-barcelona-neymar-cristiano-ronaldo-copa-90-sport360

    Neymar is by no means a kid anymore but he is still one of the most exciting talents in the game. And there’s plenty to suggest by his decision to leave Barcelona last summer that we haven’t seen the best of the brilliant Brazilian yet, not by a long shot.

    On the opposite side on Wednesday will be Cristiano Ronaldo, the old master. With his career reaching its twilight years, the stage is perfectly set for the young pretender to usurp the king of his throne.

    While Real are struggling domestically, in Europe they’ve been much more impressive on the continent with Ronaldo setting a new record for scoring in every single group game, the first player to ever do so.

    He’s also leading the way with nine goals. On top of that, Real have undoubtedly been kings of this competition in recent years, winning three of the last four titles.

    If Neymar can lead his side to victory over the two legs and topple the holders, it would go some way to cementing his reputation as the best player in the world.

    PSG need a deep run in the competition and if Neymar was to lead them to glory, it might just push him from out of Ronaldo and Lionel Messi’s shadow.

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