Paris St-Germain vs Barcelona is a Champions League quarter-final between two flawed but talented teams who have found themselves on the right side of the draw.
There is the promise of more goals tonight after Real Madrid and Manchester City’s 3-3 draw and Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich on Tuesday, results which left those ties in the balance.
Both PSG and Barcelona have some injury problems to contend with. Luis Enrique – who guided Barcelona to Champions League success in 2015 – will be without right-back Achraf Hakimi and defender Presnel Kimpembe. It could mean that hugely impressive teenage midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery could deputise at full-back. PSG were able to start Marquinhos, Kylian Mbappe, Vitinha and Ousmane Dembele on the bench for the weekend’s draw against Clermont. Mbappe, of course, is fully expected to join Barcelona’s fierce rivals Real Madrid this summer.
Barcelona have not lost a game since a 5-3 defeat against Villarreal in January, and rank as La Liga’s strongest team on expected goal difference, even if they trail Real in the title race. Xavi, who will step down as manager at the end of the season, is without key midfielders Gavi and Pedri while Ilkay Gundogan is a doubt. Former Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen has been utilised in midfield. Barcelona’s 16-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal has made the right side of their attack his own, with Raphinha moving left in support of centre-forward Robert Lewandowski.
Any Champions League game between these two clubs will prompt memories of 2017’s ‘La Remontada’, when Barcelona came from 4-0 down after the first leg to beat an Unai Emery-coached PSG 6-5 on aggregate. Barcelona were 5-3 down on aggregate going into the 88th minute of the second leg at the Nou Camp before Neymar struck twice and Sergi Roberto scored the winner in the 95th minute. PSG responded by buying Neymar for £190 million that summer in a transfer which warped the landscape of European football.
Full team news on the way shortly.