Real Madrid: Could PSG be even more dangerous with Neymar on bench?

Real Madrid have been anticipating facing PSG superstars Neymar and Kylian Mbappe for the first time this campaign, but there’s a chance they will see only one of them for a full 90 minutes.

PSG didn’t need Neymar or Kylian Mbappe to blow out Real Madrid 3-0 at the Parc des Princes, as former Los Merengues’ star Angel Di Maria did the brunt of the attacking work against an overwhelmed Madrid side sans captain Sergio Ramos.

But Real are a much better team since that debacle in Paris. They have outscored their last three opponents 13-1 and are coming off a 3-1 win over Real Sociedad, who were previously the fourth-place team in La Liga.

So for this fixture at the Santiago Bernabeu, PSG knew they would need at least one of their superstars for a full 90 minutes. But although both Mbappe and Neymar are back, only Mbappe is in the starting lineup.

Per sources close to ESPN’s Julien Laurens, Neymar will not start against Madrid at the Bernabeu on Tuesday night.

It may seem like a surprising decision – and it’s one Neymar may take issue with – but Thomas Tuchel’s squad could be more difficult to beat without the Brazilian superstar as a starter.

Firstly, while Neymar has returned from an injury, he didn’t play the full 90 minutes against Lille and may not be fit enough to feature in a full game yet. But off the bench, Neymar can be deadly. He’ll be fresh, explosive, and a danger to a wearier Real Madrid defense and midfield. Furthermore, he’s scored some incredible last-gasp goals to bail out PSG in Ligue 1 this season, so the threat of him scoring a winner will surely be on Zinedine Zidane’s mind.

There’s also the matter of PSG’s other attackers. Without Neymar, PSG can field a front three of Angel Di Maria, Mauro Icardi, and Kylian Mbappe with a more balanced midfield of Marquinhos, Marco Verratti (also back from injury), and Idrissa Gueye behind them.

Those three midfielders were instrumental in completely shutting down Real in September, and they will be even more critical in this game due to Real’s improvement in midfield. Fede Valverde, Casemiro, and Toni Kroos can all go toe-to-toe with PSG’s world-class trio, which should make for an exciting battle.

If Neymar played, PSG would have had to go with a less balanced lineup that would have either put the excellent Di Maria on the bench or in a central attacking midfield role. Or Neymar would have been the CAM. In either case, PSG’s defense would have been sacrificed against an equally dangerous Real Madrid attack, and the loss of steel and cover in midfield would have restricted PSG’s talented wing backs in the attack. Worse yet, it could have made them more vulnerable against wingers like Eden Hazard, Gareth Bale, and Rodrygo,

Thomas Tuchel may not be a popular man in Neymar’s eyes, but the top-three player in world football could be a scarier proposition off the bench. Real should be wary of how balanced PSG’s squad looks, Tuchel’s gutsy leadership, Neymar’s skill when fresh, and their last result in Paris.