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Record 13-time winners Real Madrid kick-off their UEFA Champions League campaign against French champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in a Group A fixture at Parc des Princes on Wednesday night.
Real Madrid endured a disappointing campaign last season both domestically and in Europe, having been knocked out by Dutch giant-killers Ajax in the Round of 16. The defeat sparked the return of Los Blancos legend Zinedine Zidane as the club's manager, having previously resigned after winning a record 3 consecutive Champions League trophies.
Madrid will be looking to get off to a winning start in their favourite competition. PSG on the other hand will once again try to win the elusive European trophy. Both Zinedine Zidane and Thomas Tuchel face a selection headache ahead of the match, owing to numerous injuries and suspensions for both teams.
Team News
PSG
PSG manager Tuchel is without a host of high-profile stars for the Ligue 1 giants’ opening Champions League match of the campaign.
Neymar Jr. is suspended for the first two games of the European campaign for publicly questioning the integrity of officials last season. Edinson Cavani, Julian Draxler and Kylian Mbappe miss out due to injuries, although the latter is starting to get back in training.
Injuries: Edinson Cavani (Hip), Kylian Mbappe (Hamstring), Julian Draxler (Foot), Thilo Kehrer (Foot)
Suspensions: Neymar
Predicted XI: Keylor Navas; Thomas Meunier, Thiago Silva, Abdou Diallo, Layvin Kurzawa; Idrissa Gueye, Marco Verratti; Choupo-Moting, Pablo Sarabia, Angel Di Maria; Mauro Icardi
Real Madrid
Eden Hazard looks set to start his first game for the Spanish giants after returning from a hamstring injury at the weekend.
Club captain Sergio Ramos and fellow defender Nacho Fernandez are suspended for the tie, the former for intentionally receiving a yellow card against Ajax last season and the latter for being sent off in the same tie.
Marcelo is the latest addition to the long list of injured Madrid players.
Injuries: Luka Modric (Muscle), Isco (Biceps), Federico Valverde (Muscle), Marco Asensio (ACL), Marcelo (Neck), Brahim Diaz (Thigh)
Suspensions: Sergio Ramos, Nacho Fernandez
Predicted XI: Thibaut Courtois; Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, Raphael Varane, Ferland Mendy; Casemiro, Toni Kroos, James Rodriguez; Eden Hazard, Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale
