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Bold, isn’t it? For a club that are having a tough time to win against lowly outfits at home, the headline is quite blunt, isn’t it? Real Madrid are going through a strange patch. One match, they drop points to Levante and in the very next, they beat a formidable Real Sociedad 5-2 at the Bernabeu.
And then there is Paris-Saint Germain. The French giants had a summer to remember, where they signed two-star players in the form of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar. Along with Edinson Cavani, they have formed perhaps the best attack Europe that will almost definitely outscore any opponents in the world.
Indeed, they have scored 76 goals in 25 games in the Ligue 1 this season, which is just over 3 goals-per-game, consolidating their position as Europe’s finest attack.
There is still a chance, however, that it could all blow out to the puff of Real Madrid—and here are 5 reasons why…
#5 Experience
Talent is necessary for someone to reach somewhere in life. Hard work, however, is more important. But perhaps there is nothing more important than experience when it comes to winning a competition of the Champions League's magnitude.
Indeed, experience allows a team to hold their grit even in the direst of situations and perhaps no other team know this more than Real Madrid, who actually won their tenth Champions League title in the eleventh hour.
The experience of playing in the Champions League is something that the Real Madrid players have in abundance. PSG players too have played a lot in the competition, but in comparison to the Galacticos, they fall short in terms of traversing through the knock-outs of the Champions League, which is one of the reasons why they blew a 4-0 advantage over Barcelona.
#4 Better midfield
While Paris-Saint Germain undoubtedly have the better attack arguably the sturdier defence (given how Real Madrid have defended this season, I can’t claim anything else), the Galacticos’ midfield is still a level above that of the Parisiens.
PSG have Draxler, Veratti and Rabiot at the centre, which is a pretty creative midfield. The French giants might also have the brilliant-but-inexperienced Giovani Lo Celso and veteran-but-ever-inconsistent Lassana Diarra, but they lack the experience and/or steely presence that someone like a Thiago Motta usually provides.
The Italian’s flirtation with injuries might have put him in a perpetual decline—and this is where Real Madrid could take the advantage.
The Blancos have Luka Modric and Toni Kroos in midfield and they could be accompanied by either one of Isco, Kovacic or Casemiro. In any case, the tenacity in Madrid’s midfield is more while also not losing the creativity.
Rabiot gives PSG some tenacity, but overall, Madrid’s midfield is more balanced.
#3 Better squad depth
Despite the fact that the Galacticos have been in poor form this season, what can’t be taken away from them is that they still have one of the best squads in the world. The only place they lack backup is the striker’s position.
Apart from that, however, they have more options on the bench than PSG. Indeed, the Merengues usually have the likes of Mateo Kovacic, Isco, Marco Asensio, Lucas Vazquez and Dani Ceballos on the bench—all of them could potentially change the course of a game once brought in.
PSG, meanwhile, have some great bench players too—Angel di Maria, Javier Pastore—but when compared to Real Madrid, they look bleak. And bench strength goes a long way in deciding the fate of a team in any competition.
#2 Wounded lions
At this point of the season, with both Copa del Rey and La Liga lost, Madrid just have the Champions League to salvage any pride from. When the season began, the Blancos were touted to win a treble with the squad that they had.
People, however, might have underestimated the reliance of the club on Alvaro Morata and James Rodriguez. As a result, Madrid are not only out of the league, but also are in real danger of missing out on the Champions League spots.
In the Cup, meanwhile, Real Madrid were dumped out of the competition by Leganes at the Santiago Bernabeu. So, as of now, Real can only win one trophy this season: the Champions League.
They are wounded and they are hungry—and that’s when lions are most dangerous.
#1 Champions League love affair
You saw this coming, didn’t you? Champions League is Real Madrid’s competition, there is no denying that. Even though it took them 12 years to win their tenth Champions League title, the premier competition of European football has Real Madrid as its ultimate king.
Indeed, after winning the Decima, Real won the trophy twice in three years. From being stuck at 9, they now have 12 Champions League title under their belt—winning back-to-back CL titles last season when they beat Juventus in the final in Cardiff.
That made the Galacticos the first club in the history of the game to win the Champions League twice in a row since its shift to the current format. The one in 2016 happened when Real Madrid were going through one of its worst phases under Rafa Benitez.
The Spaniard was sacked in January and then Zidane took over, who helped the Blancos win the Champions League that season. In his first full season, he did it again and now, with only the Champions League to lose, we should expect the Merengues to perform here.
