Paris St. Germain spent an incredible amount of money to make sure this didn’t happen again. Although PSG has dominated Ligue 1 and is one of the most talented teams in the world, the club has been able to have much success in Europe.
PSG was bounced in the quarterfinals of the Champions League in four straight seasons from 2013 to 2016 and suffered their most humiliating defeat last year. The French club looked set to finally knock off a major foe in the tournament, after defeating Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg of their Round of 16 clash. However, everything fell apart in the second leg at Camp Nou.
PSG allowed Barcelona to take over in the second half, and Sergi Roberto’s incredible goal at the death gave PSG its worst European loss to date. It was a heartbreaking defeat and led to their Qatari owners breaking the bank in the offseason.
Incredibly, they are in the same position yet again. Real Madrid knocked them off 3-1 in the Bernabeu in the first leg of their Round of 16 duel, and they just need to hold on at this point.
Don't miss the Champions League action from Parc des Princes at 2:45 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 6, 2018. Catch every moment of the match live on FS1.
Champions League Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Real Madrid +207
Paris St. Germain +112
Draw +282
Over/Under 3.5
Odds Analysis
The home squad is the favorite coming into this match, and oddsmakers are looking for this to be a high-scoring affair. PSG is down and will press the attack, and Real Madrid will counter with one of the most dangerous offenses in the world. Both teams have had struggles in the back, so we could see an abundance of goals.
Last Meeting
In the first leg of this Round of 16 tilt, PSG looked to have the advantage early. Adrien Rabiot struck first for PSG, scoring from just inside the box after a nice pass from Neymar. Cristiano Ronaldo leveled just before the half after a penalty kick due to a Giovani Lo Celso foul in the box.
It looked like the match would end deadlocked at one, but then Marco Asensio took over in the final ten minutes. Asensio set up Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal in the 83rd minute and Marcelo’s three minutes after to give Real Madrid a 3-1 win. That put Real Madrid in great position heading into this one.
Injuries to Watch
The news has gone from bad to worse for PSG over the last week or so. It has been announced that Neymar will have to undergo surgery for a broken metatarsal and will miss a significant amount of time. Not having the most expensive player ever is a huge blow to PSG’s chances, who could have used his deft touch and nose for goal.
There’s also a chance that PSG’s other big offseason acquisition will miss this match. Kylian Mbappe went off with a foot injury at halftime of the club’s 3-0 win against Marseille, and he may not be able to take the field next Tuesday despite manager Unai Emery’s confidence.
For Real Madrid, they will have right back Dani Carvajal back for this game after he missed the first leg due to card accumulation. Carvajal has not had the best season, but having him back in the lineup certainly doesn’t hurt. Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, and Marcelo are all questionable after missing multiple consecutive matches, but all three are expected to play here.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
Assuming Mbappe plays, I like PSG’s chances in this one. Real Madrid has been exposed at the back and Mbappe has the speed and the dynamism to exploit the Spanish giants. However, that won’t be enough for PSG to advance and Emery will be sacked afterwards through no fault of his own.
Champions League Odds: Paris St. Germain 3, Real Madrid 2
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