Real Madrid’s debut in the Champions League 2019/20 will be very tough against one of the favourite to hold the trophy in Istambul, PSG. Los Blancos travel to Paris with many absence but with the confidence of doing something good after the victory at home against Levante in La Liga. Both teams will miss many players, but we can expect a great show in Parc des Princes.
In a normal situation, these two clubs will go through the knockout stage and these clashes will be key to know the leader of the group. PSG are always favourites to win the Champions League but year after year they fail. Last season was even more painful against Manchester United. Tuchel won’t be able to include in the line-up Neymar Jr. -suspended-, Cavani and Mbappé. Therefore, the attacking line will be completely different, with Mauro Icardi as the main star.
On the other side, Zinedine Zidane has to manage many absences as well, especially in the midfield. Isco, Modric and Fede Valverde haven’t travelled to Paris, so most likely the midfielder line will be formed by Casemiro, Kroos and James Rodríguez, right now a key player in this team.
The good news is that for the very first time Zizou can include in the line-up the best attacking line with Eden Hazard, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema. These players, if they are at their top level, can bring glory to the club. However, we cannot discard Lucas Vázquez in the line-up, in order to keep the balance of the team.
In the defensive line there will be some changes as well. Marcelo is injured whereas Sergio Ramos is suspended after his stupid yellow card in Amsterdam, so Militao and Mendy will show up in the starting eleven, a tough test for these two signings.
Apart from the points, it will be a good thermometre to know the level of the team. On Sunday, they will play abroad against Sevilla, so after these two games we’ll have a clear idea about the team and his possibilities of doing something good this year.
