Paris Saint Germain is a polarizing club with a fanbase that continues to grow with every big name that they sign. The club has been competing among the best in the business for quite some time now, and it would seem like it’s PSG who are supposed to win the UEFA Champions League next.

This was the perception around the club when the transfer window had just ended. The club had signed huge stars like Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos, Gini Wijnaldum, and Gianluigi Donnarumma on free transfers. However, Ramos and Messi have both been rather underwhelming transfers.

Messi has underperformed in comparison to his sky-high standards, while Ramos has been dealing with a lot of injury issues. Now, he is injured again and will be out of PSG’s UCL Round-of-16 clash against his former club Real Madrid. Ramos has been a stalwart of the competition for years, winning it four times with Real Madrid. His absence will really hurt PSG, given his qualities as a player.

PSG and their chances of winning the UCL this season

The club was expected to dominate all club competitions with the squad that they had assembled this season. However, the team hasn’t gelled together as well as manager Mauricio Pochettino would’ve hoped. They are flying in the league, but they haven’t been convincing in the UCL.

However, if Poch gets his front three of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Neymar Jr going, the club has the best chance of winning it all. They made it to the final of the competition in 2020 and would hope to do one better this season.

Real Madrid and their chances of winning the UCL

On the other hand, Real Madrid have been one of the biggest surprises this season. The Spanish club has looked amazing whenever it has played in Europe and in Spain. They do not have a squad that can rival the depth of PSG, but they have something else.

Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr have been two of the best players in the world this season, with the duo firing on all cylinders for Madrid. If the club wants to progress in this tie, they have to hope that Benzema can make a difference.

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