Two European heavyweights go head-to-head in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Luis Enrique, now in charge of Paris Saint-Germain, will lead the French champions against his former club, FC Barcelona. Enrique was at the helm of the Spanish giants when they famously completed the ‘Remontada’ in March 2017 against PSG, becoming the first team to overturn a deficit of at least 4 goals in a two-legged knockout tie in the competition. This time, he will be looking to orchestrate a first semi-final appearance for the Parisians since 2020/21.
While PSG are on course for another Ligue 1 title this year, their preparations for this first leg were dented by a 1-1 draw against bottom side Clermont last weekend. A match in which the Parisians only scored in the 85th minute. That result means that PSG’s last five outings at the Parc des Princes have seen more draws than wins (2D, 3L). Furthermore, the only clean sheet registered during that same run highlights the recent defensive issues that the capital club have been facing.
That will be music to the ears of Barcelona, who are back in a Champions League quarter-final for the first time since August 2020 and the 8-2 humiliation suffered at the hands of Bayern Munich, in what was their heaviest defeat in the competition. The club has a chance to redeem themselves with this tie and after winning their last four competitive matches, three of them without conceding, Xavi’s team will be traveling to France high on confidence.
However, facing PSG for the sixth time in the knockout stages of the Champions League (the third most played fixture) remains a test. Even with a five-game unbeaten run (3W, 2D) heading into this tie, the reigning Spanish champions will need to be at their very best, having won just one of their last six away games (2D, 3L).
Key Battle: Two of Europe’s most feared strikers go head-to-head here. Kylian Mbappé, who has scored 40 goals in 60 appearances for PSG, including four in two previous meetings, comes up against Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski. The latter is the third-highest scorer in Champions League history (94 goals in 118 appearances).
Hot Stat: Barcelona have won just one of their last 11 away Champions League matches in the knockout stages (5D, 5L).
Probable Lineups
Paris Saint-Germain : Donnarumma – Marquinhos, Hernandez, Beraldo, Nuno Mendes – Zaïre-Emery, Vitinha, Ruiz – Dembélé, Mbappé, Lee
Barcelona : ter Stegen – Koundé, Cubarsi, Araujo, Cancelo – de Jong, Gündogan, Lopez – Yamal, Lewandowski, Raphinha
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