The stage is set and the Santiago Bernabeu is sold out as Real Madrid host PSG in search for revenge.
This is the game where Zinedine Zidane’s men will be graded and any result other than a draw will lead to reactionary takes from Spanish media. Real Madrid are on a great run of form, and this fixture will show how well they fare against tough opposition.
It will be a showdown between arguably the best front three right now vs. a defence that hasn’t conceded in more than 500 minutes, except for that gifted goal by Sergio Ramos this weekend.
All eyes will be Kylian Mbappe and Neymar Jr., both of whom were linked to Los Blancos this summer.
Here are three bold predictions for what’s going to unfold on Tuesday night.
Zidane starts four midfielders
Zinedine Zidane is known for surprising the opposition with his lineups to catch them off guard and making it quite difficult for the opposing manager to prepare for exactly what they will be facing.
We saw it against Atletico Madrid in La liga when Zidane started a 4-4-1-1 with Isco playing behind Cristiano Ronaldo, and it led to a 3-0 victory in the last ever derby at the Vincente Calderon.
It also happened against Sampaoli’s Sevilla when Zidane started with a back three. A prime example came against PSG in the second leg of round of 16 in 2018 when Zidane started with a classic 4-4-2 with Lucas Vazquez and Marco Asensio as wide midfielders.
Zidane prefers to control the game, and an extra midfielder will just help in doing that. The more you hog the ball, the less you have to defend, and I am pretty sure that’s what any team would prefer to do when the opposition has Kylian Mbappe, Neymar Jr. and Edinson Cavani.
Isco will surely be Zidane’s first choice if he goes for the diamond formation, but given he has not been given enough minutes so far, it can be Luka Modric, who is asked to play further forward as an attacking midfielder by the Frenchman.
Gareth Bale wins over the Bernabeu
Gareth Bale has always been at odds with the Bernabeu – mostly because of the Spanish media and his outspoken agent.
That said, the Bernabeu finally started to support him at the start of the season after a long-drawn transfer saga, and he messed it up by celebrating with a flag that was seen as condescending to the club by many.
Gareth Bale was probably just trying take a dig at the Spanish media. Zidane said what matters is what Bale does on the pitch, and he is still going to count on him as long as he is a Real Madrid player.
We saw what Bale did in those thirty minutes vs. Real Sociedad, and he has been in great form since the start of the season. I expect him to take the tie on himself the way he did at Kiev and win it for Real Madrid.
Angel Di Maria starts as a midfielder
What’s more dangerous than Angel Di Maria on the wing? Angel di Maria playing as a midfielder behind a front three including Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
Carlo Ancelotti gifted this gem of a side to Angel Di Maria’s game where he would run endlessly the whole game and break the opposition lines with his mazy runs and dribbling. It is one of the most difficult things to deal with in the world, as Diego Simeone even admitted.
As good as the offensive side of his game is, what actually makes it worse for the opposition is his work rate and his willingness to track back and close his man down. Ancelotti unleashed this beast, and it seems like Thomas Tuchel is going to use it against Real Madrid to give Los Blancos a taste of their medicine. This is Tuchel’s wild card, and hopefully Zidane has a plan for him.