Luis Enrique faces off against his former club as Paris Saint-Germain welcome Barcelona to the Parc des Princes for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
Enrique, having won two La Liga titles as both a player and manager in Catalonia, is set to lead PSG to yet another Ligue 1 crown this term. The Spaniard was also in the home dugout as Barca completed ‘La Remontada’ against Les Parisiens in 2017.
PSG later avenged that remarkable defeat with an emphatic two-legged victory in 2021, and their rivalry – one characterised by their off-field duels during the transfer window – is renewed on Wednesday night.
Xavi’s decision to step down at the end of the season has liberated a previously indifferent Barcelona, with the La Liga side enjoying an unbeaten run since the manager’s announcement. PSG, meanwhile, have sauntered through the past few weeks with their status as Ligue 1 champions not in doubt.
Enrique is attempting to slowly transition into a world without Kylian Mbappe, but the French superstar is crucial to PSG’s Champions League hopes.
Here’s 90min’s preview of Wednesday’s first leg in Paris.
PSG vs Barcelona H2H Record (Last Five Games)
Current Form (all competitions)
|
PSG |
Barcelona |
|---|---|
|
PSG 1-1 Clermont Foot – 06/04/24 |
Barcelona 1-0 Las Palmas – 30/03/24 |
|
PSG 1-0 Rennes – 03/04/24 |
Atletico Madrid 0-3 Barcelona – 17/03/24 |
|
Marseille 0-2 PSG – 31/03/24 |
Barcelona 3-1 Napoli – 12/03/24 |
|
Montpellier 2-6 PSG – 17/03/24 |
Barcelona 1-0 Mallorca – 08/03/24 |
|
PSG 3-1 Nice – 13/03/24 |
Athletic Club 0-0 Barcelona – 03/03/24 |
|
Country |
TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
discovery+ App, discovery+, TNT Sports 1 |
|
United States |
TUDN USA, Paramount+, TUDN App, CBS, UniMás, TUDN.com, Univision NOW |
|
Canada |
DAZN |
Enrique is without the suspended Achraf Hakimi due to yellow card accumulation, and there are question marks as to who’ll start in his place with Nordi Mukiele in the concussion protocol. Warren Zaire-Emery has some experience operating as a wing-back, but it’d be a big risk to utilise him in a back four.
Thus, we could see PSG set up in a 3-4-1-2 on Wednesday with the split strikers from the first leg against Real Sociedad returning.
Presnel Kimpembe is still recovering from a long-term Achilles injury. Sergio Rico remains out, while Layvin Kurzawa is unlikely to feature.
PSG predicted lineup vs Barcelona (3-4-1-2): Donnarumma; Marquinhos, Skriniar, Beraldo; Zaire-Emery, Vitinha, Fabian, Mendes; Dembele; Barcola, Mbappe.
Midfielders Pedri and Frenkie de Jong, both of whom have been out of action for over a month, have travelled with the squad to Paris, but neither player has been medically cleared.
Andreas Christensen is available once more for Barcelona, and he’ll likely start at the base of midfield should De Jong fail to make the XI.
Xavi is without long-term absentees Gavi and Alejandro Balde.
Barcelona predicted lineup vs PSG (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Cancelo; Christensen, Gundogan, Fermin; Yamal, Lewandowski, Felix.
Cruyffian idealists Enrique and Xavi should have a pretty good feel for one another, and a tight, cagey first leg should be expected in Paris.
The wrestle for control will be fierce, although the visitors will be more content to cede possession and disrupt PSG’s build-up as Real Sociedad did so effectively in the first first leg of their round of 16 tie.
Barca boast the athleticism in defence to cope with PSG’s speedsters in transition, and their defensive record has improved considerably in recent weeks. It’s hard to separate these two sides, with a draw setting up an everything-to-play-for return leg.
Prediction: PSG 1-1 Barcelona
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90 Mins
