Paris Saint-Germain vs Barcelona Preview

Paris Saint-Germain will renew their European rivalry with Barcelona this Wednesday when both sides meet in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final.

Both sides have met 12 times in the UCL in the past but the most remarkable meeting between them came in 2017 when Barcelona went from losing by four goals in the first leg to winning 6-1 at home. Current Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique was Barca’s manager during that dramatic game and he will lead his club looking to orchestrate the Parisians’ first semi-final appearance since 2020/21.

Although the Parisians come into this tie top of the Ligue 1, their preparations for this first leg were marred by a 1-1 draw with rock-bottom Clermont at the weekend, a game in which they needed an 85th-minute goal to draw. That result made it more draws than wins over their past five outings at the Parc des Princes (W2, D3), whilst a return of just one clean sheet in that time highlights their defensive instability of late.

Their defensive frailty will suit Barça who are taking part in their first Champions League quarter-final tie since August 2020 when they were on the end of an 8-2 thrashing against Bayern Munich—their heaviest defeat in this competition. The Spanish giants will fancy their chance of redeeming themselves here after winning their last four competitive outings in succession—three without conceding.

Although Barca are currently on a five-match away unbeaten run in all competitions (W3, D2), the reigning Spanish champions will have to be at their very best here given they’ve won just one of their last six away head-to-head meetings with PSG (D2, L3).