A tantalising Champions League quarter-final awaits as Paris Saint-Germain, under the leadership of former Barcelona manager Luis Enrique, lock horns with their old foes. Back in 2017, Enrique orchestrated a historic comeback at the Parisians’ expense, but this time around, he’ll be aiming to lead them to their first Champions League semi-final appearance in three seasons.
Despite cruising towards another Ligue 1 title, PSG haven’t been firing on all cylinders. A weekend stumble against last-placed Clermont raised eyebrows, with a late equalizer salvaging a disappointing draw. Their recent home form is shaky too, with more draws than wins in their last five Parc des Princes outings. Defensively, they’ve been leaky, conceding in all but one of those matches.
This might offer a glimmer of hope for Barcelona, who haven’t reached the Champions League quarter-finals since their humiliating 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in 2020. However, under manager Xavi, they’ve rediscovered their winning touch, claiming four consecutive victories in all competitions, three of them coming without conceding.
This will be the sixth Champions League knockout stage meeting between these two giants, making it one of the most frequent encounters in the competition’s history. Despite their current away unbeaten streak, Barcelona will need to be at their best to overcome their poor record on PSG’s turf, having won just one of their last six away games against them.
The spotlight will be on the battle between two of Europe’s most lethal strikers: Kylian Mbappé, PSG’s goal machine with 40 goals in 60 appearances this season, and Barcelona’s veteran marksman, Robert Lewandowski, the Champions League’s third all-time top scorer.
Can Mbappé continue his dominance against Barcelona? Or will Lewandowski lead the Catalans to a famous victory? With history stacked against them on the road, Barcelona will need all their firepower to overcome a potentially vulnerable PSG and rewrite their recent Champions League away woes.
Prediction
PSG 2 – 1 Barcelona
This prediction leans slightly towards PSG due to home advantage, but acknowledges Barcelona’s recent good form and defensive solidity. It also considers the firepower of both teams, with Mbappé potentially scoring for PSG and Lewandowski a threat for Barcelona.
However, a draw or even a narrow Barcelona victory wouldn’t be surprising. The key factors mentioned earlier – PSG’s defense and Barcelona’s away record – will play a big role in determining the final outcome.
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