Paris Saint-Germain boss Laurent Blanc says the key to beating Real Madrid will lie in keeping “alien” Cristiano Ronaldo isolated.
The Portugal star has scored five goals in just two Champions League games this season and has 11 in 10 appearances in all competitions.
Rumours in France have emerged again linking Ronaldo with a potential future move to PSG, as the Ligue 1 champions seek a marquee signing to help them in their bid to become a dominant force on the continent.
But as PSG prepare to face Ronaldo and Madrid at Parc des Princes on Wednesday, Blanc says his focus is solely on stopping the 30-year-old in his tracks.
“He’s one of the two aliens of planet football. He’s good in every area. We have to make sure he has few touches of the ball. We have to keep an eye on him,” Blanc said on Tuesday.
“People know our style of play. We like to have the ball. Real are quite defensive but they are very effective. These are two different philosophies that will now meet.
“If they want to give us the ball, we’ll take it with pleasure. We meet a European giant tomorrow, but it won’t be a decisive match. The decisive matches will come later, I hope.
“PSG are not yet a European giant, but we have the quality and motivation to win.”
Angel Di Maria has struggled to hit top form following his €63million switch from Manchester United and Blanc has challenged the Argentina international to improve.
“Di Maria’s had an average early part of the season. He’s aware of that and he knows he can do a lot better. He’s committed to having a great game,” he added.
Blanc has confirmed that David Luiz will miss the game with a knee problem but he says Zlatan Ibrahimovic is now fully fit after some minor niggles so far this season.
He contimued: “Ibra is coming back. Physically he’s really good. I ask him to get involved in the play, which requires a lot of energy. As you get older, you have to train regularly.”
Javier Pastore stated earlier this week that he is desperate to start the game against Madrid, and Blanc wants the midfielder to prove he is good enough to force his way into the side.
“I’ve read that Javier deserves to play but we have to analyse his early season. Unfortunately for him, and us, he injured his calf and missed three weeks,” he added.
“If I were him, I’d have plenty of incentive to prove to everyone that I can be a key player.”
