Three things to look out for in Real Madrid v. PSG

Real Madrid will start their pre-season off with a game against Paris Saint-Germain on the 28th of July (kick-off at 12:30am) at the Ohio Stadium. Here are three things to look out for in the game…

Can we follow on from last season?

The last time we saw Real Madrid play we saw them lift the Champions League title with a win over Atletico Madrid. After replacing Rafa Benitez with Zinedine Zidane, we managed to not only play better football but also get results. Our last defeat was in April against Wolfsburg (lost 2-0 though we ended up winning the tie) with our last La Liga defeat being all the way back in February after losing 1-0 against Atletico Madrid. It’s safe to say that it has been a while since we tasted real defeat.

So can we follow on from our amazing form in the second half of last season, into the new season? Yes, I do know that this is only a pre-season game and means little in terms of how we will do when the season starts though nobody enjoys watching their team lose!

Two up front?

With Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale being absent from this game could we see two up front? Zidane has favoured a 4-3-3 formation since he took over but with Alvaro Morata back at the club this could be something he may experiment with.

There were rumours of Real Madrid simply buying Morata to sell him on though those have quietened down and with Morata speaking of his desire to succeed at Real Madrid, we need to fit him into the team. Now i’m not saying that we should play two up front, we shouldn’t, but Karim Benzema is the first choice striker and this will be the perfect opportunity to try out a Morata-Benzema partnership before we play the games that matter. It’s always good to have a plan B, right?

Will youth impress?

Real Madrid have often been criticised for ignoring the talent that they have in Real Madrid Castilla and instead buying superstars for large fees. Pre-season is known for taking the kids on tour and giving them an opportunity to show what they can bring to the team and this summer will be no different.

This year, we have the likes of Philipp Lienhart, Alvaro Tejero, Diego Llorente and Achraf Hakimi in defence. In midfield we have Martin Odegaard, Enzo Zidane and Aleix Febas with Mariano and Sergio Diaz making up the forwards. When given the chance, will they impress?