Plenty of agendas as PSG superstars face Real Madrid test in Champions League

Real Madrid won the inaugural European Champions Cup at the Parc des Princes. In the 66 years since, they have collected another 12. They lifted their first of this century in Paris. In the long history of the European Cup, it would be hard to point to any time, until now, when Madrid visited the capital of France and were considered underdogs.

Among the reasons Paris Saint-Germain, who have never won the competition, are deemed narrow favourites to progress from their last-16 collision — whose first leg takes place at the Parc on Tuesday — would be Lionel Messi, the greatest nemesis of Madrid’s modern history.

Another would be Kylian Mbappe, the footballer Madrid tried to prise from Paris six months ago, and have not stopped pursuing.

You could add PSG’s former Madrid stars, Keylor Navas, Angel Di Maria and Achraf Hakimi, who won five Champions League titles between them before joining the procession of players with European Cup-expertise to have been enrolled on to PSG’s generous wage bill. By the second leg, if he recovers fitness, Sergio Ramos, four-time European champion with Madrid, may be up against his old club, too.

You could mention Mauricio Pochettino, who is just over a year into his tenure as PSG manager, and who in the past has been sounded out by Madrid about managing at the Bernabeu, but at the same time recall that Carlo Ancelotti, at Madrid for a second spell, quit as PSG coach nine years ago to join Real.

History has a bearing, as Pochettino said, but it need not be overwhelming. “I don’t think either side is under more pressure than the other,” he said.

“We respect Madrid as one of the greatest clubs in the world, and their record in the Champions League speaks for itself, beyond players or managers, and shows the strength of the club. PSG have spent more than 50 years hoping for this title, so that makes us the challengers.”

Pochettino’s choices on Tuesday are many, beginning with whether to select Navas, 35, in goal or pick Gianluigi Donnarumma, 22. One is a multiple European club champion, the other was signed last summer after he helped guide Italy to becoming Europe’s national champions.

Neither has been clearly earmarked as first-choice. “It’s the same top level whichever goalkeeper plays,” said Pochettino, “because we have two great keepers.” The coexistence, the sharing of the role had, he added, “worked so far.”

Such are the luxuries of selection in key parts of the pitch for a PSG manager.

Up front, there are fewer dilemmas. Mbappe, PSG’s match-winner once again at the weekend with his stoppage time goal against Rennes, is a given, and the focus of intense attention because of the crossroads he is approaching in his brilliant career.

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Out of contract in June, he knows that Madrid, a club he has admired since childhood, have a new deal waiting for him if he wants it. So do PSG, who turned down an offer of €200 million from Madrid last August.

Messi, meanwhile, will face Madrid for the 46th time in his career, and the first not representing Barcelona, where he swung the course of countless clasicos over his 17 years as a Barca player.

That Messi has not consistently reproduced his Barcelona form at PSG, who he joined last summer, can scarcely be considered a problem when he has set up seven goals in his last eight Ligue 1 games, and while PSG hold a 13-point lead at the top of the French table.

But Pochettino knows his management will be squarely judged on how effectively he shapes his star-studded forward line into a Champions League-winning unit.

“These are big nights and Leo can bring a lot to them,” said his coach. “He can play a crucial role, and I can see he’s very motivated.”

For some of Tuesday's game, PSG could line up their full-strength attacking trident, Neymar having trained again on Monday to confirm he is in the final stages of recovery from the ankle injury that has kept him out since the end of November. He is in contention to start on the bench.

Madrid have a major doubt over the fitness of their leading scorer Karim Benzema, which may mean a return to Champions League action for the first time in nearly two years for Gareth Bale.

Bale, a €100m signing in 2013, and winner of four European Cups with Madrid before becoming a marginal presence at the club, was recalled to Ancelotti’s starting XI in the 0-0 draw at Villarreal at the weekend, having not appeared since August.

The Welshman performed impressively, making a strong case for adding his name to the several superstars who line-up in Paris.

Plenty of agendas as PSG superstars face Real Madrid test in Champions League

PSG manager Pochettino knows he will be judged on how Messi, Mbappe and Co fare in European football's premier club competition

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