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PSG travel to the Santiago Bernabeu tonight to take on Real Madrid in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie.
Kylian Mbappe came close to upsetting potential future employers Real Madrid multiple times in the first leg before he successfully drove the dagger into their hearts in stoppage time. The Frenchman danced past two defenders and bamboozled Thibaut Courtois to give PSG a 1-0 lead heading into the second leg.
This is arguably the most high-profile fixture of the Round of 16 and tonight's game at the Santiago Bernabeu could be an absolute cracker. Real Madrid are the most successful Champions League team in the last decade.
They will be hoping to turn things around and credit to them, as this won't be the first time they have stood tall in the face of adversity in the competition. But we still believe PSG are firm favorites heading into the game. Without further ado, let's take a look at five reasons why PSG will beat Real Madrid tonight.
#5 Real Madrid could play right into PSG's hands because of the deficit
At the Parc des Princes, Real Madrid were content to sit back and defend. Although this led to them being blunt in attack, it helped contain PSG to a certain extent. Los Blancos ended the night with just three shots as opposed to Paris Saint-Germain's 21.
Real Madrid will kick off at the Santiago Bernabeu tonight, having to chase the game. They simply cannot afford to just sit back and soak up the pressure because they need to find a goal. So Real Madrid will be on the front foot and this will leave space in behind their defence.
Neymar and Lionel Messi are experts at picking out their teammates. PSG will have plenty of pace down either flank thanks to Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes.
Kylian Mbappe is also constantly looking to make runs in behind the defence and PSG could cause all kinds of trouble to Real Madrid tonight.
#4 Absence of Casemiro and Ferland Mendy will hurt Real Madrid
Toni Kroos and Luka Modric need Casemiro to be the aggressor in midfield. Without Casemiro, it's all silk and no steel in Real Madrid's midfield. PSG were far too aggressive for Real Madrid in the first leg, even with Casemiro in the side.
Now that Casemiro is suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards, Carlo Ancelotti has a real problem on his hands. To make things worse, left-back Ferland Mendy is also suspended for the game.
This means that Ancelotti will need to reshuffle his pack while needing to overturn a deficit against one of the strongest teams in Europe.
#3 Real Madrid's overreliance on Karim Benzema for goals
Karim Benzema has been having one of the best seasons of his career at an individual level. The Frenchman has been in sublime form for Real Madrid, scoring 27 goals and providing 12 assists in 32 appearances across all competitions so far this season.
The problem with Real Madrid is that they have struggled to score goals when Benzema is not playing or isn't at his best. In fact, except for Vinicius Jr., nobody else has found the net on a regular basis. Benzema was nearly marked out of the game in the first leg at the Parc des Princes.
If PSG can keep Benzema silent at the Santiago Bernabeu tonight, it'll be as good as keeping Real Madrid at bay.
#2 Lionel Messi's record at the Santiago Bernabeu
Lionel Messi returns to one of his favorite hunting grounds tonight. Messi left Barcelona last summer as the Catalans' all-time leading scorer in Clasicos, having scored 26 goals in 46 games against Real Madrid.
In 23 of those games that were played at the Santiago Bernabeu, Messi scored 15 goals and provided nine assists. The Argentinian international scored a hat-trick on this ground in 2014.
He also bagged an unforgettable late brace as Barcelona beat Real Madrid 2-0 in the first leg of the 2010-11 UEFA Champions League semi-final here.
In addition to containing Neymar and Mbappe, Real Madrid will also have to stop one of their worst adversaries from getting up to his usual tricks.
#1 The Kylian Mbappe factor
Kylian Mbappe seems to have replaced Lionel Messi as the best footballer in the world this season. Mbappe has been in sensational form this term and has gone from strength to strength even as his teammates have struggled for form intermittently.
The Frenchman was a livewire in the first leg at the Parc des Princes and seemed the most likely to produce a moment of magic. He did exactly that in second-half stoppage time by scoring the winner.
Dani Carvajal was beaten comprehensively on multiple occasions by Mbappe and we're expecting to see more of the same tonight. Mbappe's pace, agility and sheer technical ability make him a menacing presence down the left wing.
All he needs is one opportunity to pour cold water over Real Madrid's hopes and we know very well by now that the 23-year-old doesn't need an invitation to do so. Mbappe did have an injury scare on Monday after Idrissa Gueye stepped on his feet in training.
But an MRI revealed that there is no fracture and he has been named in the squad and is in contention for the game.
