PREVIEW: FC Barcelona v Paris-Saint Germain
The Champions League is back at Camp Nou! On Tuesday at 9.00pm CET, FC Barcelona host Paris Saint-Germain in a mouth-watering clash between two of the giants of European football. It’s a game that immediately brings to mind their most recent meeting, the historic 6-1 turnaround of a 4-0 defeat at the Parc de Princes, recently voted the greatest Barça game of all time in a poll on this website.
Five-time champions Barça and finalists for the first time last season PSG have both hit some strong form after they both got off to uncharacteristically slow starts this season. Barça now look fully adapted to new coach Ronald Koeman, while there has been a mid-season change of manager in Paris, with Mauricio Pochettino only into his second month in charge.
Both sides are missing key players through injury. But while Barça are gradually welcoming players back from the treatment room, their French counterparts will be coming to Camp Nou without the likes of Angel di Maria and a man who became the legend he is wearing a blaugrana jersey, Neymar Jr.
How they got here
Although FC Barcelona had looked to be heading through as group winners, home defeat to Juventus on the final day meant they had to settle for second.
Barça 5 (Messi, Fati, Coutinho, Pedri, Dembélé) Ferencváros 0
Juventus 0 Barça 2 (Dembélé, Messi)
Barça 2 (Messi, Piqué) Dynamo Kyiv 1
Dynamo Kyiv 0 Barça 4 (Dest, Braithwaite 2, Griezmann)
Ferencváros 0 Barça 3 (Griezmann, Braithwaite, Dembélé)
Barça 0 Juventus 3
PSG didn’t get off to the best of starts in their group, but the 3-1 win at Old Trafford changed everything and they ended up topping the group.
PSG 1 (Martial) Manchester United 2
İstanbul Başakşehir 0 PSG 2 (Kean 2)
RB Leipzig 2 PSG 1 (Di Maria)
PSG 1 (Neymar) RB Lepizig 0
Manchester United 1 PSG 3 (Neymar 2, Marquinhos)
PSG 5 (Neymar 3, Mbappé 2) İstanbul Başakşehir 1
Get the full lowdown on PSG here
Team news
Barça are missing Philippe Coutinho (knee), Sergi Roberto (hamstring), Ansu Fati (meniscus) and Ronald Araújo (ankle), and there are doubts concerning Martin Braithwaite (adductor). Gerard Piqué returned to training this week, but whether Ronald Koeman feels he ready or not to return to the squad list will be revealed on the morning of the match.
The big news from the PSG camp is that Brazilian superstar Neymar will not be returning to his former home. He has a adductor injury and has been ruled out, while Argentine Angel Di Maria, scorer of several big goals against Barça over the years, is also out with thigh trouble. Bernat (knee) and Dagba (thigh) also miss the game. There were doubts concerning another former Camp Nou star Rafinha (muscular), as well as Italian international Verratti (hip), but they have both been included in the squad.
Have a go at our PSG Quiz. If you've been reading carefully you'll already know some of the answers!
Barça’s last five at home to French teams
Champions League Round of 16 Second Leg 2018-19
Barça 5 Olympique Lyonnais 1 (Barça won 5-1 on aggregate)
Champions league Round of 16 Second Leg 2016/17
Barça 6 PSG 1 (Barça won 6-5 on aggregate)
Champions league Quarter Final Second Leg 2014/15
Barça 2 PSG 0 (Barça won 5-1 on aggregate)
Champions league Group Stage 2016/17
Barça 3 PSG 1 (Barça and PSG both advanced)
Champions league Quarter Final Second Leg 2014/15
Barça 1 PSG 1 (Barça advanced on away goals)
What they're saying
PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino and midfielder Leandro Paredes
Last five games
LIGA: Barça 5 Alavés 1
COPA DEL REY: Sevilla 2 Barça 0
LIGA: Real Betis 2 Barça 3
COPA DEL REY: Granada 3 Barça 5 (after extra time)
LIGA: Barça 2 Athletic Club 1
Current league position: Second
LIGUE 1: PSG 2 Nice 1
COUPE DE FRANCE: Caen 0 PSG 1
LIGUE 1: Marseilles 1 PSG 2
LIGUE 1: PSG 3 Nimes 0
LIGUE 1: Lorient 3 PSG 2
Current league position: Second
Did you know?
Only Real Madrid and Dortmund have met more times than Barça and PSG in the Champions League since the 2012/13 season. The games between Barça and PSG have traditionally brought goals – eight of them have produced an average of eight goals each.
Barça have only ever lost at home to a French side once, in the 1984–85 Cup Winners’ Cup. And it was a painful one. After winning 4-2 away to FC Metz and taking the lead at Camp Nou, the Catalans went on to lose 4-1 in one of the most extraordinary defeats in club history.
Barça are looking to qualify for the Champions League quarter finals for a record fourteenth consecutive season. Wow!
Four members of the PSG match squad (Marquinhos, Layvin Kurzawa, Marco Verratti and Julian Draxler) started the French team on the night of the famous 6-1 at Camp Nou. Rafinha started the game too, but was an FC Barcelona player at the time.
PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino will be facing Barça for the 12th time as manager. Two of those were as Tottenham coach last season while all of the others were with Barça’s city rivals Espanyol. His only victory came with Espanyol in 2009, their only win at Camp Nou in four decades. The other games ended in four draws and six defeats.
Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers is whistling Barça for the ninth time. He’s the man who oversaw the 1-1 between the sides in 2012/13, as well as the 3-0 over Liverpool at Camp Nou in 2018/19. It’s the fourth time he reffed PSG, and the only time either side has lost with him in charge was when Barça went down to Celtic in 2012/13.