PSG vs Real Madrid - Can Di Maria haunt former employers?
When it was revealed Neymar would miss the rest of the season following ankle surgery, PSG’s chances of progression to the next round of the Champions League were extinguished further. Having fallen to a 3-1 loss to Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, the odds are stacked against the Ligue 1 side in their quest to establish themselves as Europe’s best team.
Of course, they aren’t to be ruled out completely. PSG overcame Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg of their Champions League tie last season, only to lose the second leg at Camp Nou 6-1. It’s a big ask, but not an insurmountable challenge for PSG as they look to get the better of the European champions at the Parc des Princes.
While Neymar failed to have the desired impact at a familiar stomping ground, it’s a former employee that could come back to hurt Real Madrid and end their chances of a 13th European title this year. Angel Di Maria looks to be the biggest beneficiary of Neymar’s season’s ending injury, with the Argentine expected to gain regular first team action between now and the end of the season, and just in time for the World Cup too.
Di Maria didn’t go the same route as Lucas Moura, who was cast to the peripheries of the PSG squad before his eventual move to Tottenham, and has still made 18 league starts this season. He’s set to feature from the off on Tuesday night in what’ll be in his first Champions League start of the campaign having made four sub appearances in the competition to date. He’ll hope it’s not his last for the campaign.
Despite a lack of European action, Di Maria still has one goal and one assist in the Champions League this season as he came off the bench to score and provide for a teammate in respective wins against Anderlecht in the group stages. Real Madrid will offer a sterner examination than the Belgian outfit, but Di Maria is a player for the big occasion as his performances for Los Blancos prior to move to Manchester United highlight.
A return of eight goals and five assists in Ligue 1 this term means the 30-year-old is having a direct hand in a goal every 114.2 minutes, while seven goals in his last five competitive PSG starts suggests a player coming into form at just the right time. With Kylian Mbappe also at full fitness, the club has confirmed, there is still a chance for PSG in midweek.
Real Madrid have been far from solid on their travels this term having failed to keep a clean sheet in their last five away matches. Adrien Rabiot’s first half strike certainly gives the French outfit hope of a spot in the quarter-finals, and in the process, the chance to knock out the holders. Di Maria may not have made a huge impact in the Champions League this season, but if he can successfully transfer his league form to European action, then PSG have as good a chance as any at avenging their first leg loss.
