Youth League semi-final: Real Madrid v Paris
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Article summary
Seconds out, round three. Having been in the same group, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain go head-to-head for the third time this season and fourth overall in this competition.
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- Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain meet for the third time this season
- Paris finished one point ahead of the Spanish side in Group A
- Christopher Nkunku scored twice as Paris beat Madrid 4-1 at home on 21 October
- Madrid avenged that result two weeks later with a 2-0 win, Borja Mayoral on target
- Madrid's second UEFA Youth League semi (lost to Benfica in 2014) and Paris's first
Story so far: Real Madrid
Madrid's campaign opened impressively with a 4-0 victory over last season's runners-up Shakhtar Donetsk, but back-to-back defeats away to Malmö and Paris left Santiago Solari's side with work to do. They have been irresistible ever since, though, winning six out of six with never less than a two-goal margin, and eliminating Benfica last time out.
Misses final if booked: Cristian Cedrés, Achraf Hakimi, Borja Mayoral, Alejandro Salto
Key player: Borja Mayoral
If the 19-year-old has long been tipped as Madrid's next home-grown star, this competition has seen the best of him. The forward has matched last season's haul of seven goals, including a beauty against Manchester City in the round of 16, and senior coach Zinédine Zidane is a fan. He brought Mayoral on for his second first-team appearance at the end of February, in the derby, and started the Spanish Under-21 international in the subsequent Liga fixtures against Levante and Celta Vigo.
Did you know?
Madrid goalkeeper Luca Zidane was ever-present in France's 2015 UEFA European Under-17 Championship triumph. Five of his international team-mates – Alec Georgen, Lorenzo Callegari, Mamadou Doucoure, Odsonne Edouard and Nanitamo Ikone – are in the Paris squad.
Story so far: Paris
Paris won Group A for the loss of only one game, the aforementioned 2-0 reverse at Madrid on matchday four. They sealed top spot with a 5-2 thrashing of Shakhtar, 2015 European U17 Championship leading scorer Edouard on target twice, and then got the better of Middlesbrough in the round of 16. Paris had home advantage again in the quarter-finals for the visit of Roma, running out 3-1 winners courtesy of Christopher Nkunku's fine late free-kick.
Misses next match if booked: Jean-Kévin Augustin, Fodé Toure, Nathan Epaillard
Key player: Jean-Kévin Augustin
Augustin, with four, is the top marksman for a side whose goals have been spread around. The 18-year-old started Paris's second Ligue 1 match of the season, being preferred to Javier Pastore, and claimed his first goal in the French top flight in the 4-1 success against Troyes on 28 November, three days after he had made his UEFA Champions League debut away to Malmö.
Have appeared in the UEFA Champions League this season: Jean-Kévin Augustin, Christopher Nkunku
Did you know?
Paris's previous best run in the UEFA Youth League was to the quarter-finals in 2014, when Madrid ended their challenge.
