PSG vs Barcelona; Barcelona have a mountain to climb at Paris Updated for September 2024

Updated: 13th September 2024

UEFA Champions League Round of 16 2nd leg preview: Paris St. Germain vs. Barcelona – Parc des Princes – Wednesday, March 10, 2021 – 20:00 BST

PSG vs Barcelona Prediction

PSG vs Barcelona Preview

Barcelona have an uphill task ahead of them when they visit Parc des Princes to overturn a steep 1-4 deficit against French champions Paris St. Germain on Wednesday night for the second-leg of a Round of 16 UEFA Champions League tie.

Lionel Messi had given Barca hope when he opened the scoring at Nou Camp from the penalty spot, but the Catalans' joy was short-lived as they were blown away by a Kylian Mbappe hat-trick that saw PSG put one foot firmly into the next stage of the tournament.

Both teams go into the Paris clash on the back of comfortable domestic wins with Barcelona brushing aside Osasuna 2-0 in a La Liga outing and PSG breezing past Brest 3-0 in a Coupe de France fixture.

Last 6 Matches Form

Paris Saint-Germain form across all competitions: W/W/L/W/W/W

Barcelona form across all competitions: L/D/W/W/W/W

In a huge boost for PSG, Neymar Jr seems to have joined the training sessions after having recovered from a groin problem that saw him missing out on a month's play. But coach Mauricio Pochettino may not want to risk playing the Brazilian forward despite him wanting a face-off with his former club.

Full-back Alessandro Florenzi has reportedly recovered from  a muscle problem and expected to start at Parc des Princes. Moise Kean, the scorer of the 4th goal at Nou Camp, is certain to miss out as he is ill as is Juan Bernat with an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL).

Pochettino made a raft of changes in the Coupe de France fixture against Brest with Keylor Navas, Marquinhos, Presnel Kimpembe and Layvin Kurzawa all sitting out but expected to make the cut in the starting XI against Barca.

Should Neymar not be risked on Wednesday, Di Maria, Marco Verratti, Mbappe and Mauro Icardi will likely form the attacking quartet for the hosts.

Ronald Koeman is not so lucky as fitness issues go with Gerard Pique, Sergi Roberto and Ronald Araujo looking doubtful and key attacking figures Ansu Fati and Philippe Coutinho definitely out of the second leg clash.

Junior Firpo may replace Jordi Alba who hurt himself in a fall during the clash against Osasuna meaning that Ousmane Dembele may have to warm the benches once more. Koeman has experimented with a recent formation of 3-4-1-2 that has seen him pull off four successive wins before coming into the Paris clash and may be tempted to stick with the same setup as Barca go in search of goals at the Parc des Princes.

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Line Ups

Paris Saint-Germain probable starting XI:

Navas (goal); Florenzi, Marquinhos, Kimpembe, Kurzawa; Gueye, Paredes; Di Maria, Verratti, Mbappe; Icardi

Barcelona possible probable starting XI:

Ter Stegen (goal); Mingueza, Lenglet, Umtiti; Dest, De Jong, Busquets, Alba; Pedri; Messi, Griezmann

Wednesday's second leg tie is the 13th meeting between PSG and Barcelona in the Champions League, with the former accounting for four wins compared to five for the La Liga giants.

Barcelona's claims of a solid defense will count for nothing if they cannot get goals (five at least) what with the Catalans already staring at an exit from the tournament.

An all-out attack strategy is fraught with its own set of risks with the rampageous PSG front three looking to exploit the gaps left by their opponents.

A repeat of the 2016-17 comeback by Barcelona looks a pipedream and the best one can expect of them is forcing a 2-2 draw. The Blaugrana will need a miracle if they are to qualify.

Selected Bookmaker odds

The latest odds quoted have been taken from the leading online UK bookmakers and are subject to change.

• PSG to qualify: 1/50
• Barcelona to qualify: 18/1

Correct score odds

• Draw 1-1: 8/1
• PSG 2-1: 17/2
• Barcelona 2-1: 10/1
• Draw 2-2: 31/4 (predicted scoreline)
• PSG 3-1: 14/1 (probable scoreline)
• PSG 1-0: 14/1
• PSG 2-0: 14/1
• Barcelona 1-0: 16/1
• PSG 3-2: 16/1

Anytime scorers

• Kylian Mbappe: 4/5
• Lionel Messi: 4/5
• Neymar: 13/10
• Mauro Icardi: 1/1
• Angel Di Maria: 7/4
• Antoine Griezmann: 6/5

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