Paris Saint-Germain will clash heads with FC Barcelona at the Camp Nou on Tuesday night looking to pick up a positive result in the first leg of the round of 16 of the Champions League. The Parisians will head into the contest on the back of a narrow 2-1 victory over OGC Nice last week whereas Ronald Koeman’s men registered a thumping 5-1 win over Alaves.
Mauricio Pochettino will opt for a 4-3-3 formation with a few tweaks from their last game. Sergio Rico might get the nod over Keylor Navas whereas Alessandro Florenzi looks likely to make his way back into the starting eleven.
4-3-3 Paris Saint-Germain Predicted Lineup To Face Barcelona
Defence
As mentioned earlier, Sergio Rico will return to feature in between the sticks replacing Keylor Navas.
Presnel Kimpembe will continue to partner Marquinhos at the heart of PSG’s backline as they try to neutralise Barcelona’s attacking threats throughout the ninety minutes.
Pochettino could opt for more defensive options on the pitch against Koeman’s men, and hence, Alessandro Florenzi might start at the left-back position replacing Thilo Kehrer. Layvin Kurzawa will continue to fill in on the other flank as the right back.
Midfield
Idrissa Gueye and Leandro Paredes are expected to fulfil the holding midfield positions, with the latter occupying a more central role.
Julian Draxler could retain his spot in the starting line-up after a jaw-dropping performance at the centre of the park against Nice. The German international now has two goals in his last three league starts for PSG, and he’ll be hoping to add to his goal-scoring tally in midweek.
Macro Verratti remains a doubt ahead of the clash.
Attack
Moise Kean and Kylian Mbappe will take up the wide positions, looking to stretch their side’s attack and simultaneously cut inside when given the space and opportunity.
Mauro Icardi will lead the line for the away side on Tuesday. The Argentine striker will fancy his chances of finding the back of the net when he faces off against the Barcelona defence that has conceded ten goals in the last six matches.
Neymar will be out of action for at least the next four weeks as he picked up a left adductor injury in the Coupe de France away win at Caen last Wednesday.
