Real Sociedad – Paris Saint-Germain: Enrique’s Tweak And Mbappé’s Inevitability Overwhelm La Real (1-2)

Overcoming a two-goal deficit was always going to be a tough ask for Real Sociedad, but Paris Saint-Germain put them to the sword from the first minute. Luis Enrique’s approach of overloading the central areas, coupled with Kylian Mbappé doing Kylian Mbappé things, made sure that the French champions advanced to the last eight with ease.

Tactical analysis and match report by Rahul Madhavan.

Heading into this clash, Real Sociedad found themselves in a less than ideal position, both in terms of the tie and their recent form. Despite a spirited effort in the first leg against Paris Saint-Germain, where they matched strides with the French giants, moments of individual brilliance, notably from Kylian Mbappé and a stunning strike by Bradley Barcola, left La Real trailing by two goals.

In La Liga, Imanol Alguacil’s side has slipped to seventh place, having secured only one victory in their last six outings. The situation on the blue side of Basque hasn’t been particularly bright, yet they approached this tie with a fearless attitude, buoyed by the hope that their passionate home support could reverse their fortunes.

Alguacil made quite a few changes to the lineup following their 3-2 defeat to Sevilla. The back five remained unchanged from the first leg, with Álex Remiro retaining his position in goal, alongside Hamari Traoré, Igor Zubeldia, Robin Le Normand, and Javi Galán. In midfield, the preferred trio of Martín Zubimendi, Mikel Merino, and Brais Méndez kept their places. Upfront, Takefusa Kubo remained in the starting lineup, while Mikel Oyarzabal and Sheraldo Becker earned starts following their injuries.

On the flip side . . .