"Might be the match why Messi moved to Paris" - Jofre Mateu expects PSG star to run the show against Real Madrid
Lionel Messi will lead the attack when PSG take on Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League Round of 16 encounter on Wednesday night. Former Barcelona midfielder Jofre Mateu has tipped the Argentine to come out all guns blazing when he steps onto the Santiago Bernabeu pitch again.
It goes without saying that Lionel Messi hasn't had the best of starts to life at PSG, with just seven goals to his name so far in 24 games for the Parisians. Jofre Mateu, however, thinks the playmaker might be saving his best for special occasions such as the massive clash with Real Madrid.
🎙️🗣️💬
On the eve of #RMPSG , our coach answered questions from the media. 👇
en.psg.fr/teams/first-te…
The Spaniard was quoted as saying by Sportstar:
“We can see how much criticism he buries and this might be the match why Messi moved to Paris - playing in Madrid, playing in the Bernabeu, where he has had good memories.
“We know how competitive Messi is and how confident he is in the Champions League. In Bernabeu, we are not going to see the ‘best Messi’ because that is in the past, but we will see a very good [version of] Messi."
PSG fought really hard to secure a vital 1-0 victory over Real Madrid in the first leg at the Parc des Princes. The Parisians left it late, with Neymar setting up Kylian Mbappe to score the only goal of the game in injury time after Messi missed a penalty in the second half.
Key stats before #RMPSG
📈🔢 Key stats before #RMPSG
Check out the key stats ahead of our @ChampionsLeague round of 16 second leg encounter 🏆 https://t.co/sKV0Z4B8JJ
Jofre Mateu believes the result justifies why the French giants are considered among the favorites to win the competition. He continued:
“They showed in the first leg two weeks ago why the club [PSG] is betting, probably, to become [UCL] champions more than ever. That’s why I think they will be one of the favorites [to win the tournament].”
PSG versus Real Madrid: Lionel Messi's impressive record at the Santiago Bernabeu
Lionel Messi is considered Real Madrid's biggest nemesis for a couple of solid reasons. The Argentine has the most goals by an opposition player at the Santiago Bernabeu - 15 - all coming from his time at Barcelona.
Overall, he's bagged 26 goals and 14 assists against Los Blancos, with his record standing at 20 victories, 11 draws and 15 defeats from 46 games. It remains to be seen if he can put up another great showing in the Spanish capital on Wednesday.