How Real Madrid and PSG Could Play out If Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic Swapped Teams

Real Madrid host Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday in the second instalment of the pair’s mammoth Group A double header.

The French champions were held to a 0-0 draw by an understrength—albeit well-organised—Spanish side in Paris a fortnight ago, and the winner of the clash at Santiago Bernabeu will seize control in the race for top spot heading into the latter stages.

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Once again, two of the main stars on show in the Spanish capital will be Real’s Cristiano Ronaldo and PSG’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Portuguese and the Swede both suffered off nights at Parc des Princes and will be keen to put in improved performances here.

The Real No. 7 could be giving his future employers a taste of what is to come, as it is reported that Les Parisiens are very keen on luring the former Manchester United man to France next summer.

PSG captain Thiago Silva even expressed his hope in a recent interview with L’Equipe’s Saturday supplement Sport et Style (h/t ESPN FC) that the 30-year-old arrives next summer.

"

Of course. It's better to play with [Ronaldo] than against him.

I hope that his agent will find a solution with our president so that he might come to play here.

Paris Saint-Germain are the team of the moment.

[...]

I love this player.

He's had an incredible career. He did some great things at Manchester United.

He also broke the goals record at Real Madrid. He's been good for the world of football.

"

Until next summer, at least, Laurent Blanc’s men will have to try to squeeze every last drop of brilliance out of Ibrahimovic. He will likely move on at the end of his contract, so PSG will hope that he can roll back the years in Spain and help them ultimately go further than the Champions League quarter-finals.

It is possible that Ronaldo replaces Ibrahimovic in Paris next season, but the 34-year-old is unlikely to go the opposite way. However, picturing how this match might play out if the pair swapped teams is still an interesting concept.

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Starting with Ronaldo, the Portugal international could easily slot into Zlatan’s current role as the focal point of the side. However, he could also take a wide left role—where he has scored most of his goals this season—in a front three similar to Blanc’s current preferred system.

With Ibrahimovic gone, Le President could align an attacking unit that has Cavani in the middle, with Ronaldo on the left and Angel Di Maria on the right.

Not only would that combination strengthen the PSG front line in terms of the collective goal threat posed with El Matador in his preferred role, the Real man would be an upgrade on Zlatan in terms of mobility and speed, too.

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Questions remain over Di Maria’s placement on the right, when he is arguably better on the left, but he has still managed to contribute for PSG from that role since arriving in Paris. With Ronaldo in the squad, there would be little choice but to continue deploying him on the right.

Although the Ligue 1 giants would be gaining a prolific marksman in the place of another one, there is little doubt that they would also be getting another very individualistic star. Both Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic are supremely skilled players, but the former is extremely self-centred, and unlike the latter, he is not as adept at laying on chances for his team-mates.

PSG would be more dangerous in terms of taking their chances, but creating them would still be an issue. Because of this, the potential chemistry between Ronaldo, Cavani and Di Maria has to be questioned.

Cavani would struggle with another player who likes to move into central positions, and having just secured the central striking berth for himself with Ibrahimovic’s departure, he would find himself under threat once again with Ronaldo.

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The Portuguese’s history with Di Maria would be a plus point; the pair have an understanding after their time together at Real, and both benefited from playing alongside each other and were close on and off the pitch. A reunion would be good for both players and could bring the best out of the Argentina international.

However, PSG becoming more of a goal threat does not mean that it would only be good business for the French champions. Ibrahimovic to Real would also offer Los Blancos something different.

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For a start, there would be greater emphasis placed on the likes of Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema. The pair have already been working for Ronaldo at Real, but they would need to work even harder to create chances for Zlatan to finish if he joined.

Los Blancos’ current No. 7 can create chances for himself, while the Swede generally needs the help of his team-mates in order to find the net.

Ibrahimovic can also create, though, so the Frenchman and the Welshman—in theory—would also get plenty of opportunities to score themselves. Add in James Rodriguez’s trickery and Real would still have an extremely potent front line—even if it lacks some of the mobility and speed that it enjoys at present.

However, combining Zlatan and Benzema is not the best idea. Both players are capable of taking and making chances, but they can also go missing in big games.

With Ronaldo and Bale also at Real, it is rare that the France international gets exposed because one of the other two will always be on top form. Benzema also plays a similar role when the Portuguese or the Welshman are having off days, making Real a perennial threat.

Something similar would happen to PSG if they added Ronaldo to their ranks. Between the three-time FIFA Ballon d’Or winner, Cavani and Di Maria, at least one of the three would always be in form in front of goal.

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However, for Real, they would then have two mercurial marksmen in Ibrahimovic and Benzema, and that would put Bale under a lot of pressure to be at his best in every game.

In an ideal world, unlike Tuesday’s game that will be missing a number of key players through injury, all players would be fit. That would mean Javier Pastore could be a part of a PSG XI with Ronaldo, which would be key in terms of creativity.

PSG would definitely be more of a goal threat with Ronaldo in the team, especially in the bigger games, and Real would not lose too much of their attacking edge going forward by replacing him with Ibrahimovic.

However, the French champions would be getting the better end of the deal because of the pace and mobility that Ronaldo would add to Les Parisiens’ front line and not just his ability to find the back of the net.

If the pair swapped sides for this match, PSG would have a greater chance of winning at Santiago Bernabeu.