Barcelona vs PSG, match tips & line up. Almost four years on from the scandalous La Remontada, Barcelona vs PSG renew on-the-contribute threats the principal leg of their Champions League last-16 fight at Camp Nou on Tuesday night.
Despite the significance of advancing to the quarter-finals for the two sides, Barcelona and PSG have just bolted horns off the pitch over prospective free agent Lionel Messi, and everyone’s eyes will be on the Argentine this week.
The hosts got ready for this game with a comfortable 5-1 thrashing of Alaves in La Liga, and keeping in mind that PSG additionally got an imperative triumph in the group at the end of the week, the way of their 2-1 victory over Nice was not as predominant.
Barcelona vs PSG, Match preview
Lionel Messi equalled one more club record for Barcelona against Alaves on Saturday night, and the supernatural Argentine didn’t need to locate the rear of the net to draw his name into another part of the Blaugrana’s set of experiences books.
The wantaway 33-year-old pulled on the Barcelona pullover for the 505th time in the Spanish first class – coordinating the past record held by famous midfield maestro Xavi -and in normal Messi design, he denoted the event with two stupendous objectives as Ronald Koeman’s side facilitated to a 5-1 triumph, with Trincao (2) and Junior Firpo also getting on the scoresheet.
As theory over Messi’s future keeps on ruling talk in the background, the Argentine showed PSG a brief look at what could be theirs in the event that they do their best over the course of the following not many months, however not at all like Manchester City – who are accepted to be going about their business quietly -various individuals from PSG’s playing and non-playing staff have made no mystery of their craving to carry Messi to the French capital for the 2021-22 mission.
Such frank strategies have supposedly rankled Barcelona, who will be considerably more resolved to humble their rivals in midweek – and conceivably persuade Messi that they are by and by fit for trying for the greatest prize of all – and the hosts’ new structure proposes that they are completely fit for acquiring the high ground this month’s outing to the Parc des Princes.
Triumph over Alaves guaranteed that Barcelona quickly got back to winning ways after a devastating Copa del Rey first-leg thrashing to Sevilla in the semi-finals – despite the fact that they will get the opportunity to redress that 2-0 misfortune on home soil on March 3 – and Saturday’s victory denoted their seventh consecutive achievement in the Spanish first class as they rose to second in the rankings.
Just as going 12 games unbeaten in La Liga, Koeman’s side have lost only two of their last 18 matches across all rivalries and delighted in a close amazing gathering stage crusade in the Champions League, however a more terrible straight on objective count with Juventus implied that the Catalans – who sit joint-second in the goalscoring diagrams with 16 up until now – advanced as sprinters up from Group G with 15 focuses from a potential 18.
Barcelona have not neglected to advance past the round of 16 since their enchanting bind with Liverpool in the 2006-07 mission, with the Merseysiders propelling kindness of away objectives, and La Blaugrana brag a striking record against French sides in this opposition as well, as no group from the country has at any point left away from a Champions League tie at Camp Nou with a triumph in their possession.
The solitary French club to improve of Barcelona at Camp Nou was Metz in the 1984-85 Cup Winners’ Cup, and Barcelona will be edgy to entrust a year ago’s embarrassing quarter-last exit to Bayern Munich to history as they gear up for their first gathering with PSG on Tuesday, where another 6-1 whipping surely would not go wrong with the enthusiastic Blaugrana loyal.
Obviously, Barcelona turned into the first group ever in quite a while League to upset a four-objective shortage during that astounding night at Camp Nou on March 8, 2017. At that point PSG manager Unai Emery witnessed his side hit Barca for four without answer in the principal leg, yet quite possibly the most paramount and dubious matches of the 21st century finished in the Blaugrana winning 6-5 on total. Notwithstanding, one of the saints of that evening won’t rejoin with his previous Catalan colleagues this time around.
Mauricio Pochettino came enduring an onslaught for his choice to field Neymar in the Coupe de France meeting with Caen recently, and it was a move that unquestionably reverse discharges on the Argentinian chief as his satiny winger has now been precluded for various weeks with an adductor injury.
Regardless of whether the previous Catalan star will actually want to take to the field for the subsequent leg stays not yet clear, yet there is zero chance of Neymar – who has been vocal about his longing to connect up with Messi again – venturing back out onto the Camp Nou turf on Tuesday to show Barcelona what they are absent.
The PSG clinic has been all around involved for an enormous bit of the period and is beginning to top off again at the absolute worst an ideal opportunity for Pochettino, who is assuming responsibility for his first Champions League game for the Ligue 1 victors after Thomas Tuchel guided them to a first-set completion in an overwhelming Group H.
Les Parisiens’ latest European excursion against Istanbul Basaksehir was eclipsed by a prejudice outrage including a fourth authority – after which the players strolled off the contribute a demonstration of fortitude – however the groups restored the following night to complete what they had begun, and Neymar’s cap stunt impelled his group to best position and a 5-1 success on the evening.
The Brazilian hotshot is one of four players who lead the path in the top scorer diagrams with six to his name – level with Juventus’ Alvaro Morata, Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Braut Haaland and Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford -yet the goalscoring weight will presently weigh vigorously on the shoulders of Kylian Mbappe, who struck the other two against Baseksehir last break.
In spite of their mounting injury issues, PSG won’t be deposed without a battle in Ligue 1 and triumph over Nice addressed their eighth win from nine matches across all rivalries, however they were made to work for the three focuses as Julian Draxler and Moise Kean -the last hitting twofold figures for the season – struck either side of a Rony Lopes leveller at the Parc des Princes.
PSG will feel that there is no motivation behind why they can’t raise the stakes this season in the wake of losing to Bayern Munich in the 2019-20 last – Pochettino is moderately youthful, hungry and has just guided Tottenham Hotspur to the masterpiece occasion – and the guests travel to Camp Nou having kept three clean sheets in their last four away matches, yet they have not beaten a Spanish side in a Champions League knockout game since 2013.
By progressing to the knockout phases of Europe’s head rivalry for a 10th season on the run, PSG have coordinated the past record for a French club – with Lyon doing as such between the 2003-04 and 2011-12 missions – however they are presently facing a Barcelona side who have lost only one of their keep going 33 knockout games on home soil, winning 25 of them.
An away from public scrutiny Champions League is something that players are probably not going to at any point become acclimated to, particularly thinking about what the air in Catalonia would typically resemble for a tie this way, yet there is substantially more than simply a spot in the quarter-finals in question among Barcelona and PSG, as Messi might actually be influenced without a doubt contingent upon which European goliath makes the last eight.
Barcelona Champions League form: WWWWWL
Barcelona form (all competitions): WWWWLW
Paris Saint-Germain Champions League form: LWLWWW
Paris Saint-Germain form (all competitions): WLWWWW
Team News
Just as long haul absentees Ansu Fati and Philippe Coutinho, Sergi Roberto -who sent a 90,000-in number Camp Nou into wooziness by scoring the urgent 6th objective of La Remontada – has endured one more muscle injury and is probably not going to have an influence this week.
However, Sergino Dest is back in the overlap, so Koeman will have in any event one perceived right-back accessible to attempt to keep Mbappe calm, and the Barca man is relied upon to demote Oscar Mingueza to the seat on Tuesday.
Ronald Araujo will likewise watch this one from the sidelines as he recovers from a hyper-extended lower leg, yet there ought to be an adjustment at focus back in any case, with a potential return for Gerard Pique or Samuel Umtiti allowing Frenkie de Jong to repeat his standard midfield job.
Eighteen-year-old Pedri could additionally get back to the motor room instead of individual teenager Ilaix Moriba -who made his introduction for the club on Saturday – while Ousmane Dembele should get back to help Messi and Antoine Griezmann in assault notwithstanding Trincao’s support on Saturday.
Neymar’s adductor injury has managed him out of this game and conceivably the second leg at the Parc des Princes as well, and Pochettino’s alternatives out wide were additionally drained by Angel Di Maria’s thigh injury he supported in Le Classique.
Be that as it may, Kean showed his characteristics on the right-hand side against Nice and should keep Pablo Sarabia out of the group indeed, with Draxler, Mbappe and Mauro Icardi all liable to hold their places in Pochettino’s assault.
Questions stay over the inclusion of Marco Verratti -who took a kick to the hip from Marseille’s Dimitri Payet in the derby triumph – while the chance of Rafinha returning to Camp Nou is likewise uncertain because of a solid issue.
The protective threesome of Colin Dagba, Timothee Pembele and Juan Bernat are likewise inaccessible here, and separated from Alessandro Florenzi potentially replacing Thilo Kehrer at right-back, Pochettino will name a generally unaltered side for this fight.
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Ter Stegen; Dest, Umtiti, Lenglet, Alba; Busquets, De Jong, Pedri; Dembele, Messi, Griezmann
Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:
Navas; Florenzi, Marquinhos, Kimpembe, Kurzawa; Gueye, Paredes; Kean, Draxler, Mbappe; Icardi
Head To Head
Tuesday’s game represents the 12th meeting between Barcelona and PSG, and the Catalans boast five victories compared to PSG’s three, with the other ties ending with the spoils shared.
Messi’s Barcelona have knocked PSG out of the Champions League in the 2012-13, 2014-15 and 2016-17 seasons, with the 1994-95 campaign representing the only time that the French champions have sent Barca packing in the quarter-finals.
Neymar leads the way in terms of goals in this fixture with seven, but Messi – who sits on four – can attempt to catch up to his former Blaugrana teammate in a tie that has historically had goals in abundance, with 32 shared between the sides in their last eight meetings.
Barcelona vs PSG
Over 2.5 Goals
