Real Madrid vs PSG: Champions League Round of 16 Preview, Team News, Predicted Line Ups

• Real Madrid and PSG are set to lock horns on Wednesday night, March 9, for the second leg of their last 16 fixture
• PSG head to Spain for the mouthwatering clash with a 1-0 advantage secured in the reverse tie staged at Parc des Princes
• Both sides will be without key players, with Madrid duo of Casemiro and Ferland Mendy suspended for the clash

Wednesday night, March 9, will see a titanic Champions League clash take place in the Spanish capital as Real Madrid host Paris Saint-Germain for the second leg of their Round of 16 tie.

Real will be looking to win the encounter by at least a 2-0 scoreline to stand any realistic chance of progressing to the quarter-finals.

This is after they suffered a 1-0 loss in the reverse tie staged at Parc des Princes, where Kylian Mbappe scored the solitary goal that separated the two sides.

Karim Benzema struck very late as Real Madrid opens big gap on La Liga table with Rayo Vallecano win

Football

Match preview

Carlo Ancelotti’s charges have found some semblance of form since their defeat in the French capital, racking up three consecutive wins in the La Liga.

Their most recent outing ended in a huge 4-1 over Real Sociedad to take full control of the La Liga title race.

However, Los Blancos are well aware that they will have to take the game to their opponents to stand any chance of overturning the 1-0 deficit.

PSG, meanwhile, head to Santiago Bernabeu off a worrying run of form that has seen them falter twice in three of their most recent fixtures.

The French giants have already lost to Nantes and Nice in the three outings, with their only win coming against Saint Etienne.

As such, Mauricio Pochettino will be desperate to lead PSG to victory over Real as the French club seek to conquer Europe for the first time in their history.

European round up: Everything you might have missed from this weekend’s football action

Football

Team news

Casemiro and Ferland Mendy will play no role in the mouthwatering clash, with the Real Madrid duo currently suspended after they picked up their third yellow cards of the tournament in the first leg.

However, Toni Kroos is in the squad after a hamstring injury alongside Federico Valverde who is understood to have recovered from flu just in time for the PSG meeting.

Therefore, Valverde could take Casemiro's place in midfield, with Eduardo Camavinga slotting in for Kroos should the German fail to make the starting XI.

In the PSG camp, Poch will be without Sergio Ramos who is battling with a calf injury, while Ander Herrera is out with an eye infection.

However, Achraf Hakimi and Leandro Paredes have made the squad alongside Kylian Mbappe who suffered an injury scare during training.

Gianluigi Donnarumma, meanwhile, is in line to return in goal for Keylor Navas at Bernabeu.

Jubilation at Oshodi Under Bridge as sensational ‘Area Boy’ defeats Canadian High Commissioner in chess game

Other Sports

Predicted line ups

Real Madrid:

Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Marcelo; Camavinga, Valverde, Modric; Asensio, Benzema, Vinicius Jr

PSG:

Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Kimpembe, Mendes; Pereira, Gueye, Verratti; Messi, Mbappe, Neymar

Frank Leboeuf names Champions League favourites

Earlier, Sports Brief reported Chelsea legend Frank Leboeuf has named his three favourites to win the Champions League this season.

A number of European heavyweights are still firmly in the competition - including Man City, Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, and holders Chelsea.

However, Leboeuf does not see Chelsea retaining the European crown despite being on course to securing a quarter-final spot in the competition.

Instead, the former defender has backed one of Man City, Liverpool, and Bayern Munich to be crowned champions.