Plenty of agendas as PSG superstars face Real Madrid test in Champions League

Real Madrid won the inaugural European Champions Cup at the Parc des Princes. In the 66 years since, they have collected another 12. They lifted their first of this century in Paris. In the long history of the European Cup, it would be hard to point to any time, until now, when Madrid visited the capital of France and were considered underdogs.

Among the reasons Paris Saint-Germain, who have never won the competition, are deemed narrow favourites to progress from their last-16 collision — whose first leg takes place at the Parc on Tuesday — would be Lionel Messi, the greatest nemesis of Madrid’s modern history.

Another would be Kylian Mbappe, the footballer Madrid tried to prise from Paris six months ago, and have not stopped pursuing.

You could add PSG’s former Madrid stars, Keylor Navas, Angel Di Maria and Achraf Hakimi, who won five Champions League titles between them before joining the procession of players with European Cup-expertise to have been enrolled on to PSG’s generous wage bill. By the second leg, if he recovers fitness, Sergio Ramos, four-time European champion with Madrid, may be up against his old club, too.

You could mention Mauricio Pochettino, who is just over a year into his tenure as PSG manager, and who in the past has been sounded out by Madrid about managing at the Bernabeu, but at the same time recall that Carlo Ancelotti, at Madrid for a second spell, quit as PSG coach nine years ago to join Real.

History has a bearing, as Pochettino said, but it need not be overwhelming. “I don’t think either side is under more pressure than the other,” he said.

“We respect Madrid as one of the greatest clubs in the world, and their record in the Champions League speaks for itself, beyond players or managers,