Champions League: A Hot Catalan Reception Awaits Paris Saint-Germain

Barcelona vs Paris Saint-Germain

Paris Saint-Germain head south to Barcelona on Tuesday in an attempt to turn around their Champions League quarter final tie, but they are sure to receive a hostile welcome from the Barca fans and will face a Catalan team which is well fired up.     

Barcelona have taken time to settle in to the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys this season, while work on the Camp Nou continues, but they certainly braved the Parc des Princes last week as Xavi’s men took a 3-2 first leg lead back home.

PSG’s hopes of breaking through the European glass ceiling are hanging by a thread once again and former Barcelona player and manager Luis Enrique is the latest head coach to feel the heat in Paris. Enrique has had a full week to prepare his team though, with no Ligue 1 fixture this weekend while a much changed Barcelona line-up won 1-0 away to Cadiz, to stay eight points behind Real Madrid in the La Liga title race.      

While Barca’s El Clasico rivals are in charge of the domestic league, Real Madrid are in some peril in the Champions League, drawing their home leg against Manchester City and the Champions League 2024 betting odds have installed Barcelona as third favourites with Los Blancos drifting out of sight… and that’s just how Xavi and his followers like it.    

Talking Points

Can Barcelona keep Mbappe quiet again?

If the Blaugrana can do a job on Kylian Mbappe again they will have one foot in the semi-finals. Xavi’s team certainly coped with the France captain well last week, limiting him to scraps and if Mbappe draws another blank on Tuesday that will be Champions League 2024 news in itself. The Barca boss said: “We did really well especially in defence, everyone worked for the team. We defended so well against Mbappe with Jules Kounde and Ronald Aurajo.”

Mbappe was the favourite to score in the first leg and, while he may find it even harder in Barcelona he is a proven match-winner, scoring both goals in a Round of 16 win over Real Sociedad.

But he was subdued in Paris last week while another Barcelona defender popped up to score the Barca winner as former Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen scored with his first touch of the match, while Brazil winger Raphinha took the limelight away from Mbappe with a superbly taken brace.

Joao Felix scored a brilliant overhead kick in the weekend win over Cadiz while Xavi made wholesale changes, resting Raphinha and Robert Lewandowksi and starting with Pedri, Aurojo, Kounde, Ilkay Gundogan, Lamine Yamal and Frenkie de Jong on the bench. He’s balancing his priorities superbly and Xavi’s first team is ready to go again on Tuesday.    

One chance for PSG to put it right

Enrique had a lot to work to do on during PSG’s weekend off and on Friday his team was seen in training discussing their defensive positioning after they had been caught out too easily by the Catalans last week. The manager has his players fully focussed for his return to Barcelona and the Champions League is the number one priority.   

As well as having a firm grip on Ligue 1, PSG are in the Coupe de France final against Lyon in May and a domestic double looks on the cards, but the club’s Qatari owners have seen plenty of domestic success and now they want more. The Parisiens certainly went for Barcelona in their home leg as Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha scored quick-fire goals to turn the game early in the second half but, while they twice hit the woodwork twice, Enrique’s side were undone by another defensive lapse. 

PSG must tighten up or they are going out of Europe…again. 

History

Barcelona have won six of the head to heads with PSG, losing three and drawing three and they are slightly stronger in terms of recent form, winning their last six games and are unbeaten in 13 while PSG have won four, drawn one and lost one of their last six matches.

Betting Tip

This is a huge week for the Catalans with a chance to reach the Champions League finals and then El Clasico next weekend, another blockbuster clash we’re covering here at SBOTOP, and Xavi has his players primed and ready to go.    

With Barcelona at 2.13 to win the second leg and PSG at 2.93 the Blaugrana have to be confident of going through to the semi-finals and I think they’ll have enough to see off the Parisiens.   

 

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