The Champions League returns this week with the start of the last 16 ties. Real Madrid picked up victory in the first leg of theirs against RB Leipzig on Tuesday, and on Wednesday, it will be the turn of Real Sociedad, who arguably have the most difficult task of all the La Liga sides left in the competition.
La Real, despite having won their group ahead of the likes of Inter Milan, were drawn against Paris Saint-Germain, who are still trying to achieve their first Champions League success at the umpteenth time of asking. They do have as good a chance as any right now, with Luis Enrique as head coach, and Kylian Mbappe still at the club – albeit maybe not for much longer.
PSG will go into the tie as favourites, a title that former Arsenal, Barcelona and France midfielder Emmanuel Petit believes is merited because of La Real’s struggles over the last few weeks. Petit spoke exclusively to Football España to provide his take on one of the ties of the round in the Champions League.
“Two months has gone since (the group stages ended). Real Sociedad were very impressive then, now it’s completely different. They are struggling, they don’t score goals and they have so many top players injured. We all know their quality – they play with a unity, they fight for every ball, they put pressure on their opponents all the time. But they are quite limited in terms of quality and skill, especially in front of goal.”
“With the injuries, they don’t have a big squad – I’m not impressed by the players they’ve had on the bench there recently. For me, they were probably the best team that Paris Saint-Germain could meet, following their performance in the group stages. PSG are like Jekyll and Hyde, but for me – I won’t disrespect Real Sociedad – it would be a huge disappointment for the club (if they didn’t progress).”
It’s certainly true that La Real have struggled badly since the Champions League group stages concluded back in December. In eight La Liga matches since their MD6 draw with Inter, they have won just once (1-0 vs Celta Vigo). Worryingly, they have only scored three goals in that period too, although they have progressed to the Copa del Rey semi-finals at least, where they are taking on Mallorca.
Despite these struggles, Petit believes that there is a ray of hope for La Real in their quest to reach the last eight, as PSG do typically have difficulties against sides like the one headed up by head coach Imanol Alguacil.
“PSG do struggle against teams like this, that play with so much unity and passion on the pitch. Real Sociedad do have a chance, but if PSG play as well as they can, there would be no chance for them.”
This is a good point too, and you only have to look to earlier this season in order for it to have taken place. Newcastle United weren’t anywhere near one of the best teams in the Champions League, yet they took four points off PSG in the group stages, including inflicting a 4-1 defeat at St James’ Park in what was a big shock. This is largely the reason why the French champions will be facing La Real at this stage.
Wednesday’s first leg at the Parc de Princes will be crucial towards dictating how the tie plays out. If Real Sociedad can keep things tight in Paris, they will fancy their chances of progression, especially with the return leg at the Reale Arena with the passionate supporters all behind them. PSG could struggle in this environment, as has been shown before.
This interview was conducted with Betway.
