Round of 16 – Real Madrid – PSG – “Noche magica”: How Real is trying to reverse the balance of power

It’s a natural slip. Gently but growing as the deadline approached. While the hope of a qualification had seriously dwindled after Real’s very poor performance at the Parc des Princes on February 15 (1-0), confidence has clearly returned to the ranks of Madrid and it is hard to believe that Madrid starts the return leg with a handicap. Because it floats in the air in Madrid like a perfume of remontada. And not only because PSG are used to faltering once they have negotiated their first corner well, as evidenced by their bankruptcy in Barcelona in 2017, their big cold sweats against Barça and Bayern. year after a controlled outing.

Madrid don’t need to summon the ghosts of 2017 to be confident:”No, this is not a reference that we used heretestifies Pablo Polo, journalist in charge of Real Madrid since 2006 at Marca. On the other hand, the idea that Paris is a team without much history or great European experience plays a lot. But the two main arguments for the regained confidence are first Santiago Bernabeu and then the dynamics of the two teams.”

On the state of form, the argument only works for Real. Author of one of his best matches of the year on Saturday against Real Sociedad, the solid leader of the Spanish championship has found his way forward in the footsteps of Karim Benzema again at 100%. For PSG, the scope of the defeats in Nantes (3-0) and Nice (1-0) is to be weighed by the still relative degree of involvement of the Parisians in a Ligue 1 which they dominate. And we must remember the doubts that accompanied them before a first leg yet outrageously dominated.

At Real, we summon the legend

Since that time, Real has built a home legend that it summons when circumstances require. And it’s been a long time since the club with 13 C1s has not experienced such a situation, namely overturning the sentence to go home. For exactly six years and a quarter-final first leg in April 2016 lost to Wolfsburg (2-0). On the return, Madrid had experienced a “nocha magica“carried by a stratospheric Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese is no longer there, Real no longer wins the Champions League and must build a new story, without him. This second leg, facing the new terror of Europe and to the former sworn enemy, Lionel Messi, is timely.

Bernabeu weaned from big European emotions

Because since 2016, Bernabeu has especially experienced a dark night in the round of 16 in 2019 against Ajax where the unthinkable (losing the advantage of going home) happened. Madrid are patiently awaiting the return of the big night. Reinvigorated on Saturday by the scenario of a diligent but badly embarked victory (Madrid was led by Real Sociedad), Karim Benzema’s teammates are advancing as conquerors as in their greatest hours.

The calm of Carlo Ancelotti, on the eve of a meeting which could cut his head off, contrasted with the certain annoyance of Mauricio Pochettino on the eve of the shock: “Our team is motivated and calm and I’m sure we’ll have a great game tomorrow, assures the Merengues coach. My team has pride (…). I know exactly how the Bernabeu is and we are even more motivated. We know perfectly well that we are not playing this match alone because all of madridismo is behind us, takes us forward, and that makes us stronger..”

“We doubt all the time and we only talk about the negative while Real is in the positive“, Pocketttino got angry after questions from journalists not really to his liking. And yet, make no mistake, it is PSG who are still leading the debates at least until Wednesday 9 p.m. t is as if this pre-match escaped the rational and the conclusions of the first leg.Madrid navigates on a diffuse feeling and on its history, very concrete this one, to forget the Parc des Princes and promise the hell of the Bernabeu.