Ancelotti must avoid a defensive approach for Real Madrid to stand a chance against PSG

Real Madrid are in the best possible form ahead of their crucial Champions League round of 16 second-leg clash against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night.

Los Blancos were quite disappointing in the first leg and ultimately left the Parc des Princes with nothing. It was Kylian Mbappe’s last-minute goal that separated the two teams.

However, that kind of spineless performance will not be accepted at the Santiago Bernabeu, where Carlo Ancelotti’s side will be expected to put on a show.

The quality of PSG means they will be no pushovers. However, a 1-0 deficit is not the most difficult thing to overturn, especially with the away goals rule no longer in existence.

PSG’s form boosts Madrid’s chances

Whether Real Madrid qualifies or not will depend on how prepared they are for the game. However, PSG will also need to be at their best to stop Los Blancos. The Ligue 1 champions were flawless in the first leg and deserved to win by a bigger margin. However, they have been very poor in the games that have followed.

A run of two losses from their last three league matches just isn’t good enough and their stuttering form is something that will delight Real Madrid.

Unlike PSG, Carlo Ancelotti’s side is currently on an impressive run, having won each of their last three matches in La Liga. They go into Wednesday’s game as the side on form.

Los Blancos have to attack

Real Madrid were very defensive in the first leg, but Ancelotti cannot afford to adopt another conservative approach at the Bernabeu.

The Italian manager was widely criticized for setting up his side to defend against PSG. He will need to change his tactics for Los Blancos to stand any chance of qualifying ahead of their opponents. Ancelotti said in the pre-match press conference, as quoted by Realmadrid.com:

"I don't usually think about what I fear. I think about what we need to do to produce our best and to perform better than we did in the first leg, play out well from the back and apply a better press. In the build-up to a game, I usually focus on the things that we have to do and not on what we have to avoid.”

“Applying a high press is part of a defensive mechanism. When you play against the likes of Mbappé and Neymar, you’ve got to be very wary and I think that the fans will have a very important role to play tomorrow. In that sense, we want to produce a performance that the fans want to see and that's what we'll do”.

Real Madrid may be in pole position to win La Liga but exiting the Champions League in the round of 16 would be disastrous. Ancelotti will grow more unpopular among the fans if the team goes out playing dull, stale football against PSG.