Paris Saint-Germain star striker Neymar on Tuesday played down the favourites tag for his team on the eve of their second leg clash against Real Madrid in the last-16 of the Champions League.
PSG will walk out onto the turf at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night nursing a 1-0 advantage from the first leg at the Parc des Princes on 15 February.
Neymar, a second-half substitute in the game, set up Kylian Mbappé who dazzled his way past two Madrid defenders to slot the ball through the legs of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and into the net.
"PSG against Real Madrid is always going to be 50-50. There'll never be a favourite. There are top players in both teams," said Neymar on the eve of the clash.
"It's true that we have a 1-0 lead. But we really can't think about that. We will have to do better than Madrid on Wednesday night and by doing that we will take home the victory."
Quest
PSG are attempting to reach the last eight of European club football's most prestigious competition for the third consecutive season.
In 2020, Bayern Munich edged past them in the final.
And in 2021, they went down in the semi-final to Manchester City who lost the showdown to a Chelsea side led by Thomas Tuchel who was sacked by PSG just four months after steering them to the final.
Tuchel's successor at the Parc des Princes, Mauricio Pochettino, said of Wednesday night's clash: "It's a key game. We have to be focused and adapt."
On Monday, fears rose that Mbappé might not feature in the tie after suffering a foot injury in training. Initial scans failed to reveal any fractures and he is expected to play.
"There was a lot of pain from the tackle," Pochettino added. " But he's been able to walk normally and hopefully he'll be able to train normally.
Keen
"Mbappé wants to play and he wants to do well."
The 23-year-old France international has been linked with a move to Real Madrid at the end of the season when his contract with PSG expires.
PSG's top brass say they are confident of persuading one of the world's best footballers to remain at the club.
Should he depart, they will have to console themselves with seven-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi and his former Barcelona teammate Neymar who moved to PSG in 2017 for a record fee of 222 million euros.
"It's special playing against Real Madrid given our time at Barcelona," said Neymar.
Special
"But even for players who haven't been at Barcelona, it's special playing against Real Madrid in the Champions League."
Madrid claimed the European Cup a record six times when it was reserved for the league champions across the continent.
Since the format was revamped in 1993, the Spaniards have added a further seven cups to their trophy cabinet.
"We didn't play well in the first leg," said Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti on Tuesday night.
"We saw the best of PSG at the Parc des Princes and hopefully we will see the best of Madrid."
His outfit go into the tie, like PSG, as leaders of their domestic championship. With 11 games remaining, Madrid hold an eight point advantage over Sevilla while PSG boast a 13 point lead over Nice.
"Our pride was hurt in the first match and we've done a lot of work," added Ancelotti. "Especially on the physical side of things.
"But in a match like this, it's the mental side of the game that counts. The home fans will make a difference."
