Paris Saint-Germain will clash heads with FC Barcelona at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday night, looking to defend their 4-1 lead in the second leg of the round of 16. The Parisians will head into the contest on the back of a thumping 3-0 victory over Brest, whereas Ronald Koeman’s men registered a 2-0 win over Osasuna yesterday.
Mauricio Pochettino will opt for a 4-3-3 formation with several tweaks from their last game. Keylor Navas might get the nod over Sergio Rico, whereas Presnel Kimpembe 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, Keylor Navas will return to feature in between the sticks in the home encounter, thus replacing Sergio Rico.
Presnel Kimpembe will 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 side 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.
Marco Verratti will slot into the attacking midfield position. The Italian international couldn’t feature in the last three games for the Parisians due to a foot problem, but he was named on the bench against Brest. Nonetheless, he’ll be hoping to bounce back from his injury against the Catalans on Wednesday.
Julian Draxler will have to settle for a place on the bench, but he might come on in the latter stages of the game if required.
Attack
Angel Di Maria 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 be hoping to make the most of his chances against the Barcelona defence that has kept four clean sheets in their last five games across all competitions.
Moise Kean will miss the clash due to a positive COVID-19 test last week. On the other hand, Neymar took part in the full first-team training session on Sunday; however, Mauricio Pochettino might not risk him midweek.
