Barcelona will be hosting Paris Saint-German on Wednesday having full knowledge of the fact that no club has ever progressed after losing the first leg 4-0 in the history of the Champions League. However, Paris have lost in the last eight round every time they have played at Nou Camp in the last four years.
Team News
Barcelona- Barcelona’s injury list features defenders Aleix Vidal and Jeremy Mathieu. Given how mammoth the task is on their hands, the defence will have to do nothing short of an outstanding job if Barcelona are to have any chance of going through. Javier Mascherano, who missed the 1st leg with a suspension returns to the side and is definitely a huge boost for Enrique’s back line.
Paris Saint-Germain- PSG have slight injuries to be worried about and Unai Emery will have a concern regarding Angel di Maria and Thiago Motta. The Argentine was the catalyst in their historic win over Barcelona last leg and the manager would be desperate to have him leading the line this time. PSG cannot afford to sit back and defend against Barca’s world class trio and only goals at Nou Camp will keep Barcelona under pressure.
Motta had missed the last game and with players like Verratti and Rabiot already present in the midfield, he won’t be missed that much.
Predicted line-ups
Barcelona- Ter Stegen; Alba, Umtiti, Pique; Rakitic, Rafinha, Busquets, Iniesta; Neymar, Suarez, Messi
Paris Saint-Germain- Trapp; Kurzawa, Marquinhos, Silva, Aurier; Rabiot, Matuidi, Verratti; Draxler, Cavani, Lucas
Key Players
Barcelona- Without a shadow of a doubt, the trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez will have to play a huge role if Barca are hoping to overturn a four-goal deficit. The trio combinedly has scored a staggering 40 goals for the club so far, this season, and everyone knows they have the quality to achieve the impossible. Iniesta will also have to play a pivotal role on a night when Barcelona will be willing to spend more time in the attacking third.
Messi got a brace against Celta Vigo last game along with Neymar and Rakitic netting one each.
Paris Saint-Germain- Though the absence of Di Maria is a matter of concern for PSG, they have a plethora of talent up front who could absolutely kill Barca’s defence at the blink of an eye. Edinson Cavani will be the number one threat. The Uruguayan international has bagged 27 goals in 26 games so far followed by the Brazilian Lucas Moura, who has scored nine from the wings. Apart from them, Emery has the likes of Julian Draxler, Goncalo Guedes, Javier Pastore, Hatem Ben Arfa, who are all capable of changing the game single-handedly.
Betting Odds
Barcelona @ 1.44
Draw @ 5.25
Paris Saint-Germain @ 7.00
