The spotlight is now firmly on Real Madrid newcomer Ferland Mendy. The French fullback will start in place of the injured Marcelo and the pressure will be on as Los Blancos kickoff its Champions League campaign in Paris.
In his first opportunity to appear in the UCL, Ferland Mendy will be the left-back for Zinedine Zidane on Wednesday night in the Parc des Princes.
After it was announced that Marcelo sustained a thigh injury in the 3-2 win over Levante, Zizou will now turn to one of his new defensive signings from the summer transfer window for this crucial match.
Having made only one start against Villarreal since arriving in the Spanish capital, high expectations and lots of speculation will surround Mendy in this match. The 24-year-old is quite familiar with Paris Saint-Germain having played the French giants several times over his three seasons with Lyon.
However, Mendy will not see many of the PSG players he faced last season. The three top choice forwards for the Ligue 1 side – Edinson Cavani, Neymar Jr., and Kylian Mbappe – are all out of the match with injury or in Neymar’s case, a suspension.
Mendy did play well in his single La Liga appearance and gave Real Madrid fans hope that he can be the suitor for Marcelo once the Brazilian decides to call it quits.
The French fullback’s pace and ability to push up the flank should greatly help a thin Madrid midfield that will feature James Rodriguez, Toni Kroos, Casemiro, and no options off the bench. In addition, Mendy has really not had the chance to play with Eden Hazard very much since the two arrived in Madrid.
Ferland Mendy missed a large portion of the preseason with a leg injury and Hazard was out of action for the first three matches of the new campaign.
To add to the pressure, Real Madrid will be without captain Sergio Ramos who suffered a calf injury over the weekend and center back Nacho Fernandez who missed the trip due to a suspension from last season’s Champions League competition.
The two center backs for the match, therefore, should be the regular starter Raphael Varane and Brazilian Eder Militao. Since Jesus Vallejo is on loan, Zidane does not have many choices for his two center backs.
Although Real Madrid’s depth is rather thin for this match, fans should have confidence in Ferland Mendy tomorrow night. His experience against the Parisians and his determination to show his worth for his new club should elevate his game greatly.