On Wednesday, all football fans' eyes will turn to Madrid - in the first quarterfinal match of the UEFA Champions League, Madrid's "Real" will host Paris's "Saint-Germain" at home. The match will start at 9:45 PM Lithuanian time.
This match has garnered huge interest, as both clubs have the same goal - to march to the final. This season has been tragic for Madrid's "Real" in Spain, so the Champions League is the only tournament where they can defend their champions title.
Fans' opinions are divided - some believe that PSG is capable of defeating the seemingly weak "Real", while others do not underestimate the experienced "white" team and believe they will demonstrate their best game.
EuroFootball.com attempted to analyze the team compositions and highlight a few strengths and weaknesses.
Team compositions
In these matches, the hosts have only one, but a huge loss. Dani Carvajal will not be able to assist Real's team in the first meeting due to disqualification. The problem is that for this season, his substitute has been selected as academy player Achraf Hakimi, who has not convinced Zinedine Zidane with his game and has not had many opportunities lately.
However, Z. Zidane still has another option - Nacho will most likely be placed in the right back position, as he can play in any defensive position. Alongside him, the other three main team players will be Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, and Marcelo.
In the defensive line, Z. Zidane is not likely to surprise opponents - the midfield will start with the unchanged trio of Casemiro, Luka Modric, and Toni Kroos. The names above them should also not surprise - Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Gareth Bale will play in the attack.
The strategist has long played the so-called "diamond" with Isco positioned lower between Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo, but after G. Bale returned from injury, the Spaniard lost his starting position again, and now Z. Zidane is playing with his usual 4-3-3 formation.
There is a possibility that in the starting lineup instead of G. Bale, hard-working winger Lucas Vazquez might be included in the defense, but it is more realistic that he will appear after a substitution. Of course, this will depend on the situation - if Real has a satisfactory result, Mateo Kovacic and L. Vazquez can be subbed in, but if they need to strengthen the attack - Marco Asensio and Isco are likely to appear on the field.
Z. Zidane has been using this tactic throughout the season, so it is hard to expect that the Frenchman will experiment in one of the most important matches of the season.
(in parentheses - players' transfer fees)
We should not expect surprises in PSG's starting lineup either. The only question is whether Unai Emery will take a risk and play with a more attacking defensive line or decide to have a holding midfielder in midfield.
The defensive quartet is almost certain - Dani Alves will play on the right, the Brazilian duo Thiago Silva and Marquinhos will be in the center, and on the left side, Yuri Berchiche will most likely appear, who has not played many matches this season, but Layvin Kurzawa has had recent health issues.
In midfield, E. Emery has choices - he can let Angel Di Maria/Julian Draxler on the field along with Adrien Rabiot and Marco Verratti, or decide to leave the two mentioned players a bit higher up the pitch and place Lassana Diarra as the holding midfielder, who joined the team in January.
The most likely option is for L. Diarra to start in midfield. He plays as a defensive midfielder, as does the opponent's Casemiro. Moreover, the Frenchman is well acquainted with the Real team and stadium corners - he played here for three years.
There should be no surprises in the attacking positions - Edinson Cavani, Kylian Mbappe, and Neymar will play together. This is the best choice that U. Emery can offer to his opponents.
The main candidates to step onto the field after a substitution and become unexpected factors in the PSG team are Angel Di Maria, Julian Draxler, and the young Giovani Lo Celso.
(in parentheses - players' transfer fees)
Weaknesses
Teams of this level cannot afford to have many weaknesses, but this season's Madrid "Real" definitely has them. One of the biggest is a vulnerable defensive line.
U. Emery should have analyzed the game of Real's full-backs well. There will be no Dani Carvajal on the right, but Nacho will be there, whose main task will be to stop Neymar. It is doubtful that this defender will be able to be as frequently involved in attacks as his predecessor D. Carvajal.
One of the biggest problems for Real this season has been Marcelo's flank. The Brazilian often plays in the opponents' half, so Real often suffers from counterattacks down his side. The news that Kylian Mbappe will play on this flank does not bode well for the Real team's fans, but the Brazilian is always more cautious in such high-level matches, and Casemiro and Toni Kroos will provide him with considerable support.
Another weakness of the Real team this season is dealing with high opponent pressing. Z. Zidane has L. Modric and T. Kroos in midfield, but behind them is Casemiro, who is not particularly good at ball control. PSG should pay attention to every touch Casemiro makes on the ball.
Casemiro plays as a defensive midfielder, so he does not linger on the ball for long, but as soon as he feels more pressure, he passes it to a nearby player. PSG, with fast players in attack like Neymar and Mbappe, can turn every inaccurate pass by the midfielder into a dangerous opportunity, so" Real "should be very cautious in distributing the ball.
PSG has similar weaknesses as well. Dani Alves has a playing style quite similar to Marcelo's, so he also likes to join the attack, which could open up spaces on the visitors' side. On the other defensive flank, the less experienced Berchiche will most likely play, so Gareth Bale will try to create as many problems for him as possible.
The PSG defensive line is also not impressive - Verratti and Rabiot play well with the ball, but their problem is that in the opponents' ranks, there are midfielders like Kroos and Modric in the same position. It is expected that these two will impose their game rhythm, and for players like Verratti and Rabiot, not having the ball is "out of the game". The same happened last season, when "Barcelona" dominated with the ball in the response games.
Essentially, both teams have similar problems. For example, the most prominent stars of the match - Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar - play in the same attacking side and hardly take on defensive responsibilities, opening up space both in the midfield and in defense.
However, the biggest weakness for PSG in this match may not be tactical preparation or specific positions on the field, but rather the lack of experience that the double Champions League winners possess.
Strengths
Both of these teams have many strengths. However, the team cores differ - if PSG depends on their attack, then the success of Real is mostly due to their defensive line.
Z. Zidane can always rely on L. Modric and T. Kroos, who are the engines of the team in such matches. Real should not choose a style of play closer to defense in these matches because the "white" fans' army at the "Santiago Bernabeu" stadium simply will not allow it.
There are high expectations from Cristiano Ronaldo, who, despite his relatively poor form in Spain, has scored ten goals in the Champions League this season and is the leader of the team's attack in such matches. Real has an excellent defensive line, but if they are shot with empty shots in attack, they should not expect a favorable result.
Real will also depend a lot on Marcelo. The Brazilian has issues with his defensive work, but he compensates for it with his play on the left flank. In Z. Zidane's football, high passes into the penalty area can often be seen, and after the team lost D. Carvajal, Marcelo will have to take on more responsibilities in this aspect of the game.
Mbappe, Neymar, Cavani - these are the biggest strengths of the PSG team. The attacking trio, who have been playing superbly this season, cause concern for the "Real" camp, especially at this moment when the hosts have conceded quite a few goals.
Mbappe and Neymar are the players who can easily create opportunities for themselves, and Cavani in the penalty area does not give gifts to opponents for mistakes.
PSG is a team that promotes fast football, so quick attacks can also be a weapon in these matches. Real is considered somewhat of a favorite to control the ball longer and dictate the rules of the game, but this style of football is not the most beneficial for the PSG team, which has fast runners.
The outcome of these matches essentially will depend on these factors: how well Real's defense copes with Neymar and Mbappe and how PSG withstands the hosts' attacks with Luka Modric and Toni Kroos looking for options in attack.
