The UEFA Champions League playoffs kick off with Round 16 games on Tuesday, February 15. One of the games on the program is the clash between two heavyweights of European soccer, PSG and Real Madrid.
The first leg of the PSG vs Real Madrid doubleheader is taking place in Paris, where Lionel Messi & Co. are seen as slight favorites. You can learn more about what the oddsmakers think in the section below.
PSG vs Real Madrid Odds (Champions League, 2022)
All odds are per FanDuel as of February 14.
1X2
| PSG | +100 |
| Draw | +270 |
| Real Madrid | +260 |
Over/Under
| Over 2.5 | -166 |
| Under 2.5 | +136 |
Where and When to Watch
- Date: Tuesday, February 15
- Time: 3:00 PM EDT
- Location: Parc des Princes in Paris, France
- Watch: CBS Sports
Lionel Messi Looking for His 27th Goal Against Real Madrid
Since summer 2021, Lionel Messi is a PSG man. After almost 19 years spent in Barcelona, the world’s arguably best player decided to move on. However, since making Paris his new home, Messi hasn’t been playing at the same level as in his Barca days.
Of course, this doesn’t mean he’s been bad. It just means we haven’t seen him play at his best. In the French Lige 1, Messi’s scoring tally is just five goals. In comparison, he scored a total of at least 23 La Liga goals each season since 2009 while playing for Barcelona.
On the bright side, Messi’s form has improved significantly since the start of 2022. We saw him score once and make three assists in the previous four games for PSG.
Are we going to see him score again? No one should be surprised if he does find the net against Real Madrid, which is one of his favorite opponents. So far, he’s played against Los Blancos on 45 occasions, scoring 26 goals along the way.
However, even if he doesn’t score, PSG shouldn’t be worried too much. After all, they got plenty of offensive weapons on the roster, including their top-scorer, Kylian Mbappe. Then, there’s also Neymar, Mauro Icardi, and many others.
All Eyes on Karim Benzema
In 2022, Real Madrid’s no.9 Karim Benzema is one of the best strikers on the planet. With 24 goals in all competitions, he’s been his team’s crucial player this season. However, Benzema is struggling with fitness ahead of the PSG vs Real Madrid game.
The 34-year-old picked up a thigh injury in La Liga game against Elche on January 23, for which he had to miss the next three games. Real Madrid scored just one goal in those three games without him on the pitch. It happened against Granada, a team sitting near the bottom of La Liga table.
The good news is that Benzema’s injury is no longer bothering him, but the question is whether his fitness is good after not training for several weeks. An out-of-shape Benzema might not be too much of a threat to PSG’s defense.
That said, this looks like an opportunity PSG needs to take. Winning at home is a must like the game played in Madrid in two weeks’ time is going to be much, much harder.
Picks: PSG to Win; Over 2.5 Goals