Real Madrid have been up and down this season, but they’re saving their best play for the Champions League. They stood up to the challenge of Paris Saint-Germain with a 3-1 win at home in the first leg, but the defending champions will have a tough task ahead of them as they head on the road for the second leg on March 6th.
What To Know About Real Madrid
Real Madrid got a pair of goals from Cristiano Ronaldo in their first-leg win as he scored once from the penalty spot right before halftime, and then again in the 83rd minute. Marcelo added another three minutes later to seal the win for Real Madrid, but the story was Ronaldo, who now has a record 116 goals in the Champions League and his 11 goals leads the way this season. Ronaldo might not be the player that could once run the length of the pitch with the ball and terrify defenders, but he always seems to be in the right place at the right time now and if you give him enough chances, he’ll put one or two away. As for the rest of the team, Real Madrid still has some issues at the back and they do push forward too much sometimes, but a win is a win and they have a bit of a cushion heading to Paris. They’ll need to call on all of their veteran experience to get to the next round.
What To Know About Paris Saint-Germain
PSG did manage to open the scoring through Adrien Rabiot in the 33rd minute, but it wasn’t the best performance from them. Neymar showed off a lot of tricks with the ball, but for the most part, they didn’t amount to anything and he spent most of the time arguing about non-foul calls. PSG also lost their nerve at the end of the match as the two goals that Real Madrid scored late in the game could have been avoided, and those are the type of things that can come back to bite you. However, getting that single away goal was huge as PSG are still in the tie at home, where they haven’t lost all season in any competitions.
Outlook
PSG are the home favorites at -138 for this match, while Real Madrid comes in at +375 and a draw is rated at +260. The two drew 0-0 in Paris in October 2015 in the group stages of the Champions League, but the stakes are much higher now. Real Madrid is the old guard, trying to defend their championship. Paris Saint-Germain is the new guard with new money, looking to take down one of the bluebloods of world soccer. Real Madrid were trounced away at Tottenham in the group stages, so there could be some questions about their form on the road. This is going to be a truly fascinating game from start to finish and it really is a 50/50 toss-up as both teams will have their best players ready to go.
Champions League Betting Pick: PSG
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