Real Madrid: How to prepare for a healthy Neymar vs. PSG

When Real Madrid lost 3-0 to PSG earlier in the Champions League campaign, they did not have to face either Kylian Mbappe or Neymar. But both players will be back, and Los Blancos must gameplan for the world’s two most dynamic attacking players.

No team has emerged as a clear favorite in the 2019-2020 UEFA Champions League campaign, so Real Madrid have their fair shot at winning a fourth title under Zinedine Zidane’s dual reigns. But if one team has built the strongest resume in the campaign thus far, then it is PSG, whose dominant drubbing of Madrid at the Parc des Princes in September still reverberates across Spain.

Real Madrid will have a golden opportunity to get revenge on PSG when the two sides play their second group stage game at the Santiago Bernabeu on Nov. 26. But Real will have to face a PSG side that is, at least on paper, stronger than the team they faced two months earlier.

Neymar has stated that he is “good” to face Real next week, which means Los Blancos will get their first look at the Brazilian superstar this season. With Angel Di Maria playing up to his usual world-class standard and both Kylian Mbappe and summer addition Mauro Icardi banging home goals, PSG were already a dangerous side in the attack.

But with Neymar healthy, PSG could finally morph into the unstoppable offensive side that they’ve envisioned under Thomas Tuchel. Plus, the likes of Marco Verratti, Marquinhos, Idrissa Gueye, Thiago Silva, and Presnel Kimpembe give the Ligue 1 powerhouse plenty of defensive and midfield steel to deal with any other team’s attack.

Real need to have a gameplan for Neymar, though. Before his injury, the 27-year-old was unplayable and looked like the best player in club football. He scored four goals in five Ligue 1 appearances with a ridiculous 4.8 dribbles per game, per WhoScored.com.

Since Mbappe was hampered by injuries and the rest of the squad’s attackers were still gelling, Neymar had to carry the team. He scored a few sensational last-minute goals, weaved no-look passes, and provided the dribbling and almost innate skills that have him the most dangerous player on the ball in world football.

It will take an army to stop Neymar, who will work with Mbappe and Icardi to devastating effect, popping up all over the field to make plays. The key for Real will be to avoid pushing too high up the pitch with Dani Carvajal, and Real must also start Ferland Mendy, who is the only fullback capable of hanging with Neymar defensively. Mendy and Sergio Ramos need to be aggressive whenever Neymar approaches from PSG’s right side, while Raphael Varane and the midfielders must be ready to provide smart but decisive cover throughout.

Frustrating Neymar and preventing him from getting into inside spaces in the channels is critical. Real Madrid must stifle his attempts to link up with Icardi and Mbappe, because Neymar makes great use of quick movements and one-twos after beating defenders. And he will beat defenders one-on-one; that is a guarantee.

For Real, it’s fine to get caught out by Neymar’s brilliance, because that is unavoidable. But Los Blancos must make sure they have the proper support when defending Neymar without committing too much to tackles and without sacrificing defensive responsibilities against two other elite difference-makers in Di Maria and Mbappe.