- Real Madrid and PSG meet in first leg of Champions League clash on Wednesday
- First leg of their last-16 tie takes place at the Bernabeu, with return on March 6
- Real defender Dani Carvajal says there is ‘no magic formula’ to stopping Neymar
- Brilliant Brazilian has scored 28 goals and contributed 16 assists this season
Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal has admitted there is no ‘magic formula’ to stop Neymar and hopes the Paris Saint-Germain star is below his best in their Champions League showdown on Wednesday night.
The Brazilian, who signed for PSG from Barcelona for a world record £198m last summer, has scored 28 goals and contributed 16 assists in all competitions this season.
His form and connection with Barcelona only make the last-16 clash between PSG and Real all the more intriguing, with the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu and the return at the Parc des Princes on March 6.
Neymar celebrates after scoring PSG’s winning goal at Toulouse in Ligue 1 on Saturday
The Brazilian star has scored 28 goals in all competitions for PSG this season so far
Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal says there is no ‘magic formula’ to stop Neymar
Carvajal, who is suspended for the first leg, told AS: ‘To play against Neymar, there is no magic formula.
‘You just have to hope he doesn’t have his day. I hope he doesn’t have his day on Wednesday.’
Real have won the Champions League in each of the past two seasons and are once again pinning their hopes on continental competition given they are 17 points behind leaders Barcelona in La Liga.
PSG enter the Champions League last-16 blockbuster in excellent form domestically
Neymar has a shot on goal during PSG’s narrow in at Toulouse on Saturday afternoon
Meanwhile, PSG find themselves 12 points ahead of Monaco in the Ligue 1 standings and are hoping to make a breakthrough in the Champions League.
Carvajal added: ‘There is no favourite in a battle like that. The knockout stages are very even, they are decided on little details.
‘We will try to not commit any errors and to get it right in the area.’
