Karim Benzema says Real Madrid aren’t afraid of Paris Saint-Germain

Real Madrid centre-forward Karim Benzema has said that he and his teammates are not afraid of facing Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 of the Champions League next month.

Speaking with France Football in comments carried by Mundo Deportivo, Benzema said that Los Blancos will be going to Paris to win and aren’t contemplating any other possibility.

The French international admitted he “would have liked another” rival but assured that “if you want to reach the end you have to beat everybody. When we go France to play that game against Paris, we’ll be going to win.”

Madrid are certainly in good form. They’re currently top of La Liga, five points clear of second-placed Sevilla albeit with a game more played than the Andalusians. PSG are also top of Ligue 1, eight points clear of second-placed Nice with a game in hand.

But things haven’t quite clicked at the Parc des Princes – Mauricio Pochettino has failed to get the Parisians playing the way they’d like and they’re only playing Madrid because they finished second to Manchester City in their Champions League group.

The hope in France, however, is that the ludicrously talented attacking trident of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe kick into gear for the business end of their European campaign.