Neymar has returned to the squad from injury, but is not sure if he will return. The French media is almost certain that he will not play from the beginning. Sergio Ramos could not recover from the injury.
But without Neymar, Lionel Messi and Killian Mbappe are there. The PSG XI, made up of Veratti, Di Maria and Marquinhos, is still quite scary. The match will also be played at the PSG grounds in Parc des Princes.
There is no need to say anew about how much Real Madrid has to think about in the first leg match of the last 16 of the Champions League tonight at 2 pm Bangladesh time.
However, Real coach Carlo Ancelotti’s forehead is probably more worried than this – another concern – Karim Benzema’s fitness! It’s okay to think about the edge of the opponent’s weapon, but if your own weapon is blunt, then what will Ancelotti fight with!
Benzemahin real attack is bhontai! The French striker left the field with a hamstring injury in the match against Elche in the Spanish league on 23 January, in which Real managed to leave the field with a 2-2 draw with two goals in the last 10 minutes. But then? According to the statistics, Real have played three matches without Benzema, one win, one loss and one draw. But Ancelotti knows better than anyone else how much Real has suffered in these three matches without Benzema.
The only win in these three matches was against Granada, who are at the bottom of the league’s points table, 1-0. In the last match, a 2-2 draw at Villarreal gave Sevilla a chance to move closer to Real. And the only rate? At Athletic Bilbao, 1-0, the rate at which Real have lost a title this season. Even in the field of PSG today, there will not be much fear for Real?
The fear is not only because of the results of Real’s matches, but also because of the way Real played. Benzema, the club’s biggest hope since Cristiano Ronaldo left Real in 2016, has remained the same this season. As well as scoring 24 goals in 28 games this season, he has scored 9 more goals.
But Benzema means not only the goal, but also the contribution of the French striker in building the game. Besides playing for himself, Benzema also knows how to play with his teammates. His partnership with Killian Mbappe in the national team is as strong as it is with Vinicius Jr. in Real’s attack.
Apart from Benzema, Vinicius is terrible. You have to beat the opponent with speed and skill. Vinicius even has the ability to beat a team like PSG alone. But apart from Benzema, in the last few matches, did Vinicius seem to be a bit less borrowed? Who else has the power in this Real, the way Benzema pulls the opposing defenders and makes Vinicius a place to run?
Real coach Ancelotti could replace Benzema with Gareth Bale as the ‘number nine’ today, as in the last match against Villarreal if Benzema could not play in the end. But it would not be possible for him to make up for Benzema’s absence if Bell, who was listening to Real’s last song at the end of the day, could not do something incredible.
PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino also said that the power that Real would lose without Benzema is that he is a great footballer, one of the best in the world. Most importantly, he is very important to his team. If he doesn’t play, it will be a big loss for Madrid. That’s not to say that it will be a big advantage for us, because they have a lot more great players. But that (without Benzema) would force Madrid to change their plans.
PSG coach knows, and Ancelotti does not know? Ancelotti’s own worries about Benzema are, of course, her own. At least that’s what the famous journalist Tim Vikari’s column on the football website ESPN says. Desperate to get Benzema back quickly, Ancelotti trained Benzema to sprint in practice before the match against Villarreal, also at Real’s training ground on a specially designed high-rise in Valdebas. It is true that Benzema practiced, but his hamstrings made him angry.
Real’s Champions League fate is somewhat in doubt. But perhaps the greatest fear now lies with the fate of Ancelotti. Ancelotti was sacked after Real lost their tenth Champions League in the previous season and lost the almost certain league title the following season. This time, the dream of winning the Copa del Rey has already come true. In the end, if the weaker Real lose to PSG without Benzema, Real’s dream of a Champions League will be shattered by March.