Barcelona take a 3-2 lead into the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie against Paris Saint-Germain after coming from behind in the French capital.
Xavi’s liberated Catalans have one step in the semi-finals following last Wednesday’s impressive display in Paris, and they were victorious yet again at the weekend with Joao Felix’s acrobatic effort helping Barca to a 1-0 win over Cadiz.
The La Liga champions are now 13 games unbeaten since Xavi announced his decision to step down as manager at the end of the season.
Barca had the benefits of a prolonged rest heading into the first leg, and PSG enjoyed the weekend off ahead of Tuesday’s trip to Catalonia. Luis Enrique’s half-time switches inspired a quick recovery in the first leg, but Raphinha’s second strike of the night and Andreas Christensen’s header mean the Ligue 1 leaders have a deficit to overturn on foreign land.
Let’s just hope the second leg provides the thrills and spills of the opening encounter. Here’s everything you need to know about Tuesday’s game.
Barcelona vs PSG H2H record (Last Five Games)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Barcelona |
PSG |
|---|---|
|
Cadiz 0-1 Barcelona – 13/04/24 |
PSG 2-3 Barcelona – 10/03/24 |
|
PSG 2-3 Barcelona – 10/03/24 |
PSG 1-1 Clermont Foot – 06/04/24 |
|
Barcelona 1-0 Las Palmas – 30/03/24 |
PSG 1-0 Rennes – 03/04/24 |
|
Atletico Madrid 0-3 Barcelona – 17/03/24 |
Marseille 0-2 PSG – 31/03/24 |
|
Barcelona 3-1 Napoli – 12/03/24 |
Montpellier 2-6 PSG – 17/03/24 |
|
Country |
TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
discovery+, TNT Sports 1, discovery+ App, TNT Sports Ultimate |
|
United States |
TUDN USA, Paramount+, TUDN App, TUDN.com, UniMás, Univision NOW, CBS |
|
Canada |
DAZN |
Xavi shuffled his pack at the weekend and the Barca boss will return several players to his starting XI on Tuesday.
However, he will be without suspended pair Andreas Christensen and Sergi Roberto. Fortunately, Xavi now has Frenkie de Jong and Pedri available for PSG’s visit, with the pair likely partnering Ilkay Gundogan in midfield.
Ronald Araujo, Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde, Raphinha, and Lamine Yamal should also return to the starting lineup.
Barcelona predicted lineup vs PSG (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Cancelo; De Jong, Pedri, Gundogan; Yamal, Lewandowski, Raphinha.
Enrique will crucially be able to call upon Achraf Hakimi on Tuesday after he was suspended for the first leg. Hakimi will start at right-back with Marquinhos shuffling across.
Warren Zaire-Emery has to come into PSG’s midfield, and they’ll likely ditch Marco Asensio as a false nine. Kylian Mbappe will want to occupy zones closer to Barcelona’s goal, while Bradley Barcola offered a spark off the bench last week.
Sergio Rico, Presnel Kimpembe, and Layvin Kurzawa are likely to miss out, but Nordi Mukiele could return to the matchday squad.
PSG predicted lineup vs Barca (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Skriniar, Mendes; Vitinha, Fabian, Zaire-Emery; Dembele, Mbappe, Barcola.
Many will see PSG as a club bereft of the minerals to overturn a deficit away from home in this competition, but this tie is far from over. The two sides played out a cracking first leg, and an expansive PSG should facilitate similar drama on Tuesday.
Enrique must be aggressive with his team selection and let Mbappe, who was tamed last week, occupy his favourite zones. The French superstar is due a big performance, and he may well produce it in Catalonia. The return of Hakimi is also huge for PSG’s dynamics in possession.
However, the visitors will be susceptible to the transition given the absence of a natural holding midfielder, and a confident Barca, as they did in Paris, should have plenty of joy on the counter. There should be goals at both ends, with PSG threatening a second leg comeback, but the hosts are likely to do enough to progress into the last four.
Prediction: Barcelona 2-2 PSG
READ THE LATEST CHAMPIONS LEAGUE NEWS, PREVIEWS & RATINGS HERE
