Everything you need to know before the C1 round of 16 return between Real and PSG, this Tuesday (9 p.m.), in San Sebastian.
PSG meets Real Sociedad this Tuesday, at Anoeta, in the round of 16 second leg of the Champions League. Kick-off at 9 p.m. A match broadcast by Canal+ et RMC Sport 1. Also follow live commentary on our site.
What happened in the first leg?
“Two very different halves”, had analyzed Luis Enrique. Not false. Lacking “personality”as Kylian Mbappé indicated, PSG suffered in the first period against the stifling pressure of Real. “The worst first half of the season”had railed the Spanish coach, who “pulled the ears” of his players at the break, as Marquinhos told. He also pushed Vitinha back to gain technical quality and dynamism on the first restart. Good idea. Above all, it was Mbappé’s liberating goal in the 58th minute that changed everything. From then on, Paris rolled on an overwhelmed Basque team, Bradley Barcola doubling the lead in the 70th. 2-0, final score. Considering the first period, it was unexpected for PSG. Considering the second, it’s not a lot to pay for Real Sociedad. Moreover, Imanol Alguacil already has the recipe: “Reproduce the first 60 minutes of the first leg » pour “dream”.
Read also PSG notes against Real Sociedad: Mbappé turns on the light, Dembélé “vital”
Kylian Mbappé holder?
A priori, yes, but who knows… Since he announced his choice to leave PSG this summer to his management, Kylian Mbappé has suffered a spectacular downgrade. Substitute in Nantes (0-2), replaced against Rennes (1-1) and in Monaco (0-0), the world champion no longer has any privilege in the eyes of Luis Enrique, who limits himself to explaining “that we will have to get used to playing without him sooner or later” and he does “what’s best for the team”while specifying that there is no “no problem” between him and the 25-year-old. Exited at half-time, the latter also finished the match at Louis II… in the stands, alongside his mother. Surreal… A priori, the two men spoke the day after this meeting to smooth things over. And «Fought» counts on Mbappé for the C1. The Spanish technician, however, gave a lunar show on Monday, at a press conference, in order to dribble out the questions.
Also read “Maybe yes, maybe no”: Luis Enrique’s grand-guignolesque show on Mbappé in front of the press (video)
What progress has the two teams had since the first leg?
The main information concerning PSG since the first leg is the announcement of the departure of Kylian Mbappé at the end of the season. On the field, Paris remains on two draws, against Rennes (1-1) and Monaco (0-0), after a victory in Nantes (0-2). Lightened schedule with a Coupe de France quarter-final to be played on March 13, against Nice. Four matches on the menu for Real, starting with a victory in Mallorca (1-2), then two defeats in the league (Villarreal, Seville) but also and above all a cruel elimination in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, on penalties , against Osasuna (1-1 ap, 4-5 tab). A heartbreak for the Basques, who will be all the more keen to progress to C1, although they have only won one of their last nine matches in all competitions. Not joy… Good news for them? They got their captain back, Mikel Oyarzabal. Uncertainty for Marquinhos and Danilo Pereira in the Parisian ranks. Packages in Monaco, the two players tested themselves at Anoeta on Monday, in training.
Read alsoPSG: still a doubt for Marquinhos and Danilo against Real Sociedad?
Since when did PSG last play in the C1 quarter-finals?
Paris appears in the round of 16 of C1 for the 12th consecutive time, for only six qualifications. The Rouge et Bleu have exited five times at this stage of the competition over the last seven campaigns, including the last two (Real Madrid, Bayern Munich), after reaching the last four in 2020 (final) and 2021 (semi-finals). ). Note that Paris Saint-Germain had already played in the quarters in 1995, at a time when there were no 8th after the group stage. Luis Fernandez’s players reached the semi-finals (AC Milan). We hadn’t seen Real Sociedad in the 8th since the 2003-04 season, with an elimination against OL. Double champions of Spain in the 1980s, the Basques played in the semi-finals in 1983, against the future European champions of Hamburg. That’s all.
Read alsoChampions League: Real Sociedad, symbol of Basque football attached to its roots
What results for PSG in Spain?
The two teams had never faced each other before the first leg, but PSG are regulars in Spain. And it didn’t always go well… Not counting the Cup of Cup final lost to Barça in 1997, in Rotterdam, Paris played 18 away matches against Spanish clubs, for a record of five victories. , three draws and nine defeats, including the famous comeback against FC Barcelona by… Luis Enrique (6-1), in 2017, and the debacle against Real Madrid (3-1), in 2022. After Barça, Seville, Real, La Coruna, Valencia and Bilbao, Real Sociedad is the seventh Spanish club to cross paths with PSG, when the Basque team had only faced one French team until now, OL. Two eliminations, in the play-offs (2013) and in the 8th of C1 (2004), no victory.
