Real Madrid vs Paris Champions League round of 16 preview: Where to watch, predicted line-ups, squad changes
Wednesday, March 9, 2022
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When is it? How can you watch it? What are the possible line-ups? All you need to know about the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg between Real Madrid and Paris.
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Paris and Real Madrid meet in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg on Wednesday 9 March.
Real Madrid vs Paris at a glance
When: Wednesday 9 March (21:00 CET kick-off)
Where: Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid
What: UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg
How it stands: Paris lead 1-0 after the first leg
How to follow: Build-up and live coverage will appear here
Where to watch Real Madrid vs Paris on TV
Fans can find their local UEFA Champions League broadcast partner(s) here.
What happened in the first leg?
Paris dominated for long periods but came up against a resolute Madrid side who looked to have gone to the French capital determined not to play themselves out of the tie. After Thibaut Courtois saved Lionel Messi's second-half penalty, it appeared that they would return to Spain with parity; Kylian Mbappé had other ideas.
Starting line-ups
Real Madrid: Courtois; Carvajal, Éder Militão, Alaba, Nacho; Modrić, Kroos, Valverde; Asensio, Benzema, Vinícius Júnior
Paris: Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Kimpembe, Nuno Mendes; Danilo, Verratti, Paredes; Neymar, Messi, Mbappé
Away goals rule abolished
There has been a rule change for 2021/22: ties level after the second leg will go to extra time and a penalty shoot-out if required, irrespective of the number of away goals a team has scored.
Form guide
Real Madrid
Since first leg: WWW
Where they stand: 1st in Liga
Paris
Since first leg: LWL
Where they stand: 1st in Ligue 1
Expert predictions
Graham Hunter, Real Madrid reporter
A couple of days after their 120th birthday, Madrid need to give themselves the best possible present by scoring at least twice and keeping a clean sheet. Without Casemiro and Ferland Mendy, and waiting nervously on the fitness of Toni Kroos and Federico Valverde, Madrid perhaps look vulnerable. But this, literally, is the club which is inspired by 'impossible' and treats 'unlikely' with a sneer.
Carlo Ancelotti's men also played with fizz and bite in their 4-1 weekend win against Real Sociedad, while in Courtois they boast one of the top two or three footballers anywhere. So much rests on the duo of Karim Benzema and Vinícius Júnior, producers of 67 goals and assists between them this season.
Ian Holyman, Paris reporter
This is a serious test of Paris' credentials as potential 2021/22 winners. Their domestic form has been patchy, but their first-leg victory, courtesy of that brilliant Mbappé strike, and the sizzling form of the France forward mean that they have the edge. Keylor Navas or Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal is the major selection question: the Madrid history of the Costa Rican international, who'll face players he knows so well, surely tips the scales in his favour.
What the coaches say
Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid coach: "We’ve worked really well on the physical side of our game over the past three weeks. We didn’t play well in Paris, but we’re confident and have faith that we can put in a really good performance on Wednesday night."
Mauricio Pochettino, Paris coach: "The challenge is to maintain our advantage from the first leg. We have a lot of respect for Real Madrid. A club that wins 13 Champions League titles; that does not happen by accident. But we are not scared. We will try to play our own game."
