Preview: Ancelotti looking to get better of former employees
Carlo Ancelotti’s managerial duties at Real Madrid could not have gone to a better start after the Spanish giants thumped AFC Bournemouth 6-0 just a few days back and now, it is time for the new Galacticos manager to look to register a win over a club he guided to the Championnelle in France last season.
Three individuals, Zlatan Ibrahimvoic, Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlo Ancelotti are set to be the focus of this spectacle. The game takes place at Nya Ullevi, Goteborg, Sweden, a country where Zlatan Ibrahimovic took his first steps towards becoming a global star.
These past few days, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been hotly linked with a move away from the Parc des Princes. However, the Swede has calmed down the cash-laden club’s fans by stating that he is very happy at the club and even said that the shirt he wears looks good on him.
Carlo Ancelotti on the other hand, has been pretty keen on reuniting with Ibra. However, it appears that this particular deal might not be happening, not this summer at least and the Italian will have to contend with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo for now.
Speaking of Ronaldo, the Portugal international has been linked with every club whose coffers are bulging. Naturally, Paris Saint-Germain have also been linked with CR7. Florentino Perez, Madrid’s president, has time and time again stated that the player will retire at the club but it appears for now that the former Manchester United man is still far from signing a new deal which means that everything is up in the air at the moment and even if he chooses to stay this season, no one knows what happens when the next summer transfer window arrives.
Speaking of the way football works these days, PSG have once again outdone themselves by bringing in Edinson Cavani from Napoli. The Uruguayan has signed for a mammoth fee that has been pretty much well-documented and in the game against Real Madrid, it would be quite interesting to see how he pairs up with Ibra.
Laurent Blanc has been relatively quiet in front of the media since his appointment. But that is not really supposed to signify something as the former France man has just started adjusting to life as the manager of a cash-laden club. However, the former World Cup winner will definitely be rubbing his hands at the prospect of seeing his side play against a team that would be vying for the elusive ‘Decima dream’ when the Champions League group stages kick-off later this year.
Although winning might not be a matter of life and death, a game between two sides of such huge stature is not going to be a dull one. Moreover, with the new season coming nearer and nearer, the game would provide both teams’ coaches a chance to see if they need to do any more tinkering or not.
Where to watch the match – live stream, start time, TV channels
The game is bound to be a spectacle even though it is a friendly. The stadium would be packed and so would be the TV sets all over the globe for such a big encounter.
Watch PSG vs Real Madrid live:
In USA at 14:00 ET on beIN Sport and beIN Sport Play
Possible Starting XI
PSG: Salvatore Sirigu, Thiago Silva, Mamadou Sakho, Lucas Digne, Gregory van der Wiel, Thiago Motta, Blaise Matuidi, Jeremy Menez, Lucas Moura, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani
Real Madrid: Iker Cassillas, Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, Alvaro Arbeloa, Marcelo, Xabi Alonso, Sami Khedira, Mesut Ozil, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Luka Modric.
