Ronaldo v Neymar as Real draw PSG

Though the Champions League draw has thrown up a few choice match ups in the Round of 16, PSG’s clash with Real Madrid looks set to be the quintessential glamour tie.

With Real the most decorated and opulent club in Europe and Paris Saint-Germain the nouveau riches contenders on the scene, their two-legged clash will decide who ends the season with the greater share of glory and prestige.

Beyond their near-limitless resources and enormous wealth and influence, here are the areas in which ultimate victory will be decided at the Bernabeu and the Parc des Princes.

According to Zinedine Zidane, Real’s struggles in La Liga earlier this season were down to a decline in their goalscoring prowess. One factor in their attacking malaise was surely the mixed form of Cristiano Ronaldo, who had only scored two goals in the league prior to his brace against Sevilla this weekend.

Ronaldo has had no such problem in Europe, where he scored nine goals in six games at the group stage. He will be expected to carry that form into the tie with PSG, with his goalscoring heroics the driving force behind Real’s last two consecutive Champions League wins. Meanwhile, PSG will be relying on Neymar to justify his £198million transfer fee, with a knockout tie against Real the perfect stage for him to showcase his otherworldly abilities.

Ronaldo and Neymar are not so much superstars as footballing supernovas. Whoever outshines the other is likely to inspire his team to victory.

The duel in the dugouts

Whichever manager ends up on the losing side come the end of the tie could feasibly be relieved of his duties. Both Real Madrid and PSG are monstrously ambitious clubs and expect unqualified success in the Champions League.

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Zidane has the greater pedigree and has won the tournament twice already, surprising many with his staying power at a club which is notorious for ruthlessly disposing of managers. Meanwhile, Unai Emery will be desperately aware of the consequences of defeat to Real and may be haunted by memories of last season’s collapse to Barcelona at the same stage of the competition.

While Neymar, Cristiano and co. will power and pirouette their way around the spotlit sections of their respective stadiums, the tie could well be manipulated in the shadowy areas of the field. Real Madrid might have been defensively shaky in the Champions League this term – conceding seven goals in the group stage, three more than their Parisian rivals – but they still have a formidable centre-back pairing in the form of Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane, not to mention the understated ruggedness of Casemiro at defensive midfield.

Ready to take them on at the dark arts will be the Brazilian trio of Marquinhos, Thiago Silva and Dani Alves in defence, all of whom are incredibly canny footballers. Still considered a legend at Barcelona, Alves will be desperate to undermine Los Blancos. Throw in a couple of hard-working midfielders in Adrien Rabiot and Marco Verratti, and both sides look capable of choking off the creatives and getting their hands dirty for the win.

source: AFP