We’ve arrived at the quarter-final stage of this season’s highly competitive UEFA Champions League tournament. There are some mouth-watering games on the schedule, including two on Tuesday and another pair on Wednesday. We focus on the game from Paris, where local side and French champions PSG host visitors and La Liga champions Barcelona from 20:00 GMT. You can watch the game live on television.
The Parisians were victorious when last meeting Barca in knockout football, defeating the Spaniards over two legs three years ago. PSG won the first leg 4-1 in Spain before holding on for a 1-1 draw at this venue in the second leg. Will they serve up more of the same, moving a step closer to the semi-finals, or will Barca get their revenge in Paris? Keep reading for our in-depth preview and predictions.
PSG must improve in defence
PSG finished as runners-up behind Borussia Dortmund in Champions League Group F, returning stats of two wins, two draws, and a pair of defeats. They scored nine goals and conceded eight. They had no problems finding the net but know they must improve defensively if they are to move from contenders to Champions League winners. A star-studded Barca attack will test that backline to breaking point.
Since progressing from the pool, PSG has eliminated Spanish La Liga outfit Real Sociedad 4-1 on aggregate after winning 2-0 at home and 2-1 on the road. This is a huge leap up in class, but PSG holds the home advantage for the first leg and knows they must make it count. They’ll want to get their noses in front here and avoid having to win in Spain when the second leg comes around.
Barca lead the way
Unlike their opponents, Barcelona was able to win their Champions League pool, finishing on top of Group H. The La Liga champions returned stats of four wins against two defeats, with a dozen goals scored and six conceded, showing they also have issues at the back. Could this develop into a high-scoring game with plenty of talking points as we merge two strong attacks and two defences prone to errors?
Bet hereSince winning Group H, Barcelona has dealt with Italian Serie A side Napoli over two legs without encountering too much fuss. The La Liga club battled hard to a 1-1 draw in Naples to hand them the advantage, and they made it count with an impressive 3-1 home victory over Napoli to progress to the next round. They’ll want to repeat that effort and keep things tight on the road before winning the tie at home.
PSG vs Barcelona prediction
Here we have a meeting of two giants of European football, and fans can expect an exciting clash. PSG knows their best chance of going through comes from making home advantage count to secure a first-leg lead, but that’s easier said than done against a former Champions League winner and the current La Liga champion. If both teams are at their best, we could see a score draw here.
There’s very little between PSG and Barcelona on paper, but it’s obvious a draw would suit the visitors more than their hosts. There’s an embarrassment of riches on the field for this game with some of the best attackers in world football, so it would come as no surprise to see both teams find the net at least once during the first leg.
Champions League odds
22Bet members can wager on the outcome of this game or look ahead and predict the winner of this season’s Champions League trophy. Do you fancy PSG to win in Paris and delight their supporters? 22Bet members can back a home win at 1.98 Prefer the chances of Barcelona winning on the road? The visitors are 3.67, while the draw trades at 3.84.
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