Barcelona will be aiming to book their spot in the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time since the 2018-19 campaign when they welcome Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night.
Xavi‘s side will bring a narrow advantage into the second leg of their quarter-final at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, having recorded a 3-2 victory in the first leg in the French capital last week.
Barcelona’s form since Xavi announced that he would be standing down as head coach this summer has been excellent, going 13 games unbeaten in all competitions, recording 10 wins in the process.
Those in charge of the Catalan outfit remain hopeful that Xavi can be convinced to stay on beyond the end of the season, but the legendary former midfielder continues to insist that he will be departing; for now, the focus is on the rest of the campaign, as Barcelona fight for two trophies.
Raphinha was the star of the show in Paris in the first leg, netting a brace, while Andreas Christensen came up with the winner in the 77th minute, so Barcelona will enter this fixture with a 3-2 advantage.
The Catalan side were incredibly eliminated in the group stage of both the 2021-22 and 2022-23 Champions League tournaments, while they have not progressed past the quarter-finals since 2018-19, when they were beaten by Liverpool in the final four, and their last final appearance was in 2015, overcoming Juventus to win the trophy.
Barcelona lead the overall head-to-head against PSG, boasting six wins to the French outfit’s four, but they suffered a 4-1 home loss to the capital giants in the last-16 first leg back in February 2021.
Xavi’s side will enter this match off the back of a 1-0 win over Cadiz in La Liga on Saturday, and they have been victorious in each of their last four in the league; Real Madrid, though, have an eight-point advantage over second-placed Barcelona at the summit ahead of El Clasico next weekend.
PSG, meanwhile, have not been in action since the first leg, with their last Ligue 1 game coming at home to Clermont on April 6, sharing the points in a 1-1 draw, which left them 10 points clear at the top of the table.
Unless something extraordinary happens, another Ligue 1 championship will be secured this season, but the Champions League is the trophy that this club really want, and it would be some story if a certain Kylian Mbappe could help the team win the competition as a parting gift.
Luis Enrique‘s side were far from convincing in the group stage of the competition, only picking up eight points from their six matches, but they managed to finish second behind Borussia Dortmund, before recording a 4-1 success over Real Sociedad in the round of 16.
PSG were last present in the semi-finals in 2020-21, while they made the final in 2019-20, but two of their last three tournaments have ended in the round of 16.
The capital outfit will be aware of the size of the task facing them against an in-form Barcelona, but this is the side of the draw that both sides would have wanted to have been in, as the winner will take on either Atletico Madrid or Borussia Dortmund for a position in the final.
Barcelona remain without the services of Gavi and Alejandro Balde due to long-term injuries, and neither player will be available for selection until next season.
The Catalan outfit have not reported any further fitness concerns, and the squad will be boosted by the returns of Joao Cancelo, Inigo Martinez and Robert Lewandowski, who were all suspended against Cadiz in the league.
However, Barcelona do have two players banned for this contest, with Christensen and Sergi Roberto picking up milestone yellow cards in the first leg in Paris last week.
Pedri has featured off the bench in the team’s last two games after recovering from a thigh problem and is now in line for a start, while outstanding teenagers Pau Cubarsi and Lamine Yamal are also set to be in the XI.
As for PSG, Presnel Kimpembe, Layvin Kurzawa and Sergio Rico remain on the sidelines, while Nordi Mukiele will need to be assessed due to a head injury.
Achraf Hakimi was suspended for the first leg, but he will be back in the team at right-back here, while head coach Enrique could also introduce Goncalo Ramos and Warren Zaire-Emery into his starting side.
Ousmane Dembele will once again line up against his former club, while Mbappe will be bidding to add to the four goals that he has scored against Barcelona in the Champions League.
Marco Asensio is likely to be the player to drop out to make way for Ramos, while Lee Kang-in and Nuno Mendes may also be named on the bench for the first whistle on Tuesday night.
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Cancelo; Pedri, Gundogan, F de Jong; Yamal, Lewandowski, Raphinha
Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:
Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Beraldo, Hernandez; Zaire-Emery, Ruiz, Vitinha; Dembele, Ramos, Mbapp
We say: Barcelona 2-1 Paris Saint-Germain (Barcelona win 5-3 on aggregate)
The first leg between the two sides was brilliant, and we are expecting plenty more entertainment on Tuesday night. PSG certainly have enough quality to turn this game around, but Barcelona have been boosted with the returns of some key players at a vital stage of the season, and we are expecting Xavi’s side to navigate their way into the semi-finals of the competition.
