Pacho-less PSG must keep Real Madrid marksmen at bay

• PSG square off against Los Blancos in the last four
• Les Parisiens must contend with absence of Pacho
• Ecuadorian has most CWC minutes of any PSG player

In an eye-catching show of resolve, it took right until the penultimate – or what may prove to be the third-from-last – match of the season for the rock to finally crumble.

After having been a crucial cog and a flawless performer throughout Paris Saint-Germain's showstopping 2024/25 campaign, Willian Pacho suffered an uncharacteristic rush of blood to the head in the 82nd minute of Saturday’s helter-skelter FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ quarter-final tussle against FC Bayern München.

The ultra-dependable Ecuadorian trundled down the tunnel for an early bath at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium after committing a reckless challenge on Bayern's Leon Goretzka. With his side a goal to the good at the time before subsequently doubling their advantage in a 2-0 victory, his dismissal mattered little on the night.

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However, in the greater scheme of things and such is his standing in the PSG ranks, that moment of madness could prove to be highly damaging to the French capital club's quest to garner global glory, with Pacho having been handed a tournament-ending two-match suspension.

Pacho has been Luis Enrique's most-used player this season, having amassed 4,545 minutes. Without their defensive stalwart, will the Parisians have the Pacho-esque resolve required to stifle Real Madrid C.F.'s formidable frontline as the sides do battle for a spot in the trophy decider at New York New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium?

To help answer this question, we could do far worse than homing in on this campaign's 12 encounters in which the European champions have had to do without their colossal centre-back.

Even the most fleeting of glances at the statistics reveals one very telling fact that is unlikely to fill those of a PSG persuasion with great confidence ahead of the contest against the mighty Merengues. In domestic action, Les Parisiens conceded more than one goal in nine matches this season, and Pacho did not feature or was on the bench for almost half of those games.

Furthermore, one of PSG's two league defeats came without Pacho on the pitch. He did complete the full 90 minutes when Nice left the Parc des Princes with a 3-1 triumph in April that ruined the already crowned Parisians’ hopes of completing an unbeaten season. However, he played no part in their next outing, in which Luis Enrique’s charges ended up on the wrong side of a 2-1 scoreline at Strasbourg.

PSG have kept just one clean sheet in matches in which their impressively consistent defensive mainstay was not in the squad or was left kicking his heels on the bench: the 3-0 victory over Toulouse last November. To put that statistic in context, the Parisians have chalked up six shutouts in their last seven games in all competitions.

Without the former Eintracht Frankfurt stopper at the heart of the defence, the Ligue 1 juggernauts appear to have their work cut out to shackle Real Madrid’s potent attack.

The Spanish heavyweights’ strike force is likely to be spearheaded by prodigious poacher Gonzalo Garcia and could feature a certain Kylian Mbappe, who will be raring to stake his claim for a more prominent role in Xabi Alonso's side in an eagerly anticipated reunion with his former employers. Also, fresh-faced Brazilian Lucas Beraldo is an odds-on favourite to be given the nod to slot in alongside captain Marquinhos, with the 21-year-old poised to be handed the unenviable task of making Pacho's absence a moot point.

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Indeed, in ten of the 12 games that the number 51 – a tribute to his mother who passed away at that age on the very day he made his senior debut for Independiente del Valle – has missed this term, Luis Enrique has turned to Beraldo. The other candidates who would have been in the frame to fill in for the man famed for his bandaged wrist are serving a suspension (Lucas Hernandez), working their way back to full fitness (Presnel Kimpembe) or heading for the Parc des Princes exit door (Milan Skriniar), making the former Sao Paulo defender a virtual shoo-in.

"I've got full faith in Lucas Beraldo. He exudes an air of assurance," said Enrique a short few months ago.

Regardless of the personnel and the tactical approach, PSG are sure to need every last ounce of the impressive team spirit that they showcased in the closing stages of the win over Bayern, in which they held out with a two-man disadvantage, as they bid to ensure that Los Blancos draw a blank.

"We're like a family," attacking ace Ousmane Dembele told PSG's website. "We all try to give each other advice, to up our game and to put a shift in for one another, and so far, it's paying off."

Long may it last, or at least that's what those rooting for PSG will be hoping, starting in Wednesday's semi-final bout against serial silverware snarers Real Madrid.