Prediction and Best Bets for PSG vs. Real Madrid Champions League Game (Tuesday, February 15)

The UEFA Champions League (UCL) knockout phase starts on Tuesday, February 15, 2022, with two games of Round of 16. One of those games is PSG vs. Real Madrid, which I will now analyze in detail, sharing my betting picks at the end.

I’ll start my PSG vs. Real Madrid preview by dissecting the betting odds.

Tuesday’s game is taking place on PSG’s turf, Parc des Princes in Paris, France. Two weeks later, the two UCL foes will meet again. In the second leg of the doubleheader, Stadio Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid will serve as the host venue, which is the place where Los Blancos are without a single loss since September.

For this reason, it’s imperative for PSG to get a good result in front of its own fans. Lionel Messi & Co. are determined to win and oddsmakers think they’ll do it – PSG is coming into the Round of 16 game as the betting favorite.

The odds of PSG winning are somewhere in the ballpark of +100 at most soccer betting sites.

Before moving to PSG, Lionel Messi had played for Barcelona for nearly two decades. As a Barca player, he played against Real Madrid 45 times, scoring 26 goals along the way. No other player in the history of the game has scored so many goals against this opponent.

? 45 games
⚽️ 26 goals
?️ 14 assists

When Lionel Messi faces Real Madrid, he usually delivers ?#UCL pic.twitter.com/pUeG3LWDjH

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) February 14, 2022

Can he do it again? Oddsmakers surely think so. The odds of Messi scoring at least once on Tuesday are +125 at Betway.

It’s not only because Real Madrid is one of his favorite rivals; it’s also because Messi is hungry for goals. Since making Paris his home in summer 2021, the Messiah hasn’t been too prolific scoring-wise.

For instance, he’s scored only five goals in the French Ligue 1 since the start of the season. That’s way worse than what he did as a Barcelona player – from 2009 to 2021, Messi scored a minimum of 23 goals per season.

But what happens if Messi fails against Real Madrid? Well, PSG fans shouldn’t worry much. After all, this team has plenty of options in the offense, starting with their top-scorer Kylian Mbappe. Then, there’s also Neymar, Mauro Icardi, Angel Di Maria, and many other goal-machines.

It’s likely Real Madrid’s leading scorer will feature in the PSG game. What’s uncertain is how long will he stay on the field. The thing is that Karim Benzema hasn’t played a single game since January 23, when he injured his hamstring.

Carlo Ancelotti confirms that Karim Benzema will play against PSG ? pic.twitter.com/uegxkuwj3M

— GOAL (@goal) February 11, 2022

The man who’s scored 24 goals so far for Real Madrid in all competitions had to miss three games due to the injury. With him sidelined, Los Blancos managed to put away only one goal in three games. It happened in a La Liga game against Granada, a team that’s currently sitting near the bottom of the table.

Still, with Benzema in the team, Los Blancos do look capable of scoring against PSG. After all, they did it in five of their previous duels with PSG. Still, their last trip to Paris saw Real failing to score a single goal. It happened in 2019 when Angel Di Maria scored two goals in his team’s 3-0 win.

PSG just has to win this game. Otherwise, their Champions League future would be in jeopardy. It’s because in the second leg of the Real Madrid doubleheader, the two foes play in Spain. Beating Los Blancos is way easier in Paris than in Madrid.

Further, PSG needs to capitalize on the fact that Real Madrid’s best player is struggling with fitness. Benzema might be over his injury, but he probably isn’t 100% fit following several weeks without any soccer action.

Real Madrid to win seems like an excellent betting choice, especially knowing that the odds are +100 at sportsbooks like 10Bet.

If the Parisians are going to win, they need to score. The man whom I think will put at least one goal in Real Madrid’s net is Lionel Messi. With the odds of +125, “Messi to Score Anytime” also looks like an awesome bet.