The Santiago Bernabeu will be the stage for a huge Champions League tie that comes very early on in the competition. The reigning champions against the aspiring successors. Cristiano Ronaldo versus Neymar, Bale and Mbappe, Ramos and Thiago Silva. A five-star encounter with one objective in mind: to achieve continental glory.
History is on Real Madrid's side. The 12 trophies sewn onto their sleeve are an emblem that compels them to win and strikes fear in equal measure. It is what Zidane's men are so desperately clinging to at this point of the season, having fallen behind in the race for La Liga before crashing out of the Copa del Rey.
Cristiano Ronaldo's sudden run of good form is another thing going for 'Los Blancos', especially given his predilection for the Champions League. The Portuguese ace will guide a squad that has built up some momentum going into the crucial fixture, though perhaps not quite as much as they would have hoped for.
But Zidane knows he will need more than that. Luka Modric always acts accordingly having acquired a keen sense for such occasions. The Real boss will also hope for a response from Bale and Benzema, while Isco, Marcelo and Asensio could also prove key in toppling a PSG side for whom the Champions League is nothing short of an obligation.
Despite hefty Qatari-backed investment to build one of the strongest squads in Europe, Emery's project could go down the drain without even reaching the quarter-finals. After surviving last season's disaster, and having spared no expense in the transfer market, the target is once again in Europe. A rather impeccable tournament so far from the Parisians sets them up to overthrow the current champions at their own stadium.
It was exactly what Neymar had in mind when he agreed an infamous switch from the Camp Nou to the Parc des Princes back in the summer. The young and fiery Mbappe or the lethal Cavani, who wants to achieve glory after several seasons falling by the wayside. Emery has plenty of arguments on which to rest his case, added to the mounting pressure from their restless benefactors.
Real Madrid have never managed to knock out PSG, who will be backed by their own supporters for the return fixture, but that game will have to wait. 90 minutes ahead that could well be a final but are somehow just the first leg of the round of 16.