ROUND 3 BETWEEN PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN AND BARCELONA AT THE PARC DES PRINCES
Paris Saint-Germain will be prodded on by the memory of their horrifying Champions League exits in the last two seasons when they host Barcelona in the first leg of their quarter-final on Wednesday.
The clubs meet at the Parc des Princes with the French champions edgy to make it to the last four in the wake of being dumped out of the competition on away goal to Barcelona and Chelsea in the quarter-finals in each of the last two seasons.
It will be the third time that the two sides have met in the competition this season after each recording a win over the other in Group F.
Anyhow their 3-2 win against the Catalans in Paris in the group stage, and the character they indicated to beat Chelsea on away goals in the last 16, in light of Zlatan Ibrahimovic's first-half red card, proposes they have what it takes to make the jump forward this time.
Barcelona have won 30 of their last 34 matches in all competitions, however a nine-game winning streak was dented in a 2-2 draw at Sevilla on Saturday.
The outcome at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium delineated both the great and the awful of Barca, as they raged into an early lead before surrendering two goals late on.
Having lost in Paris in September, Barcelona asserted revenge, and top spot in Group F, by winning 3-1 at the Camp Nou in December.
Messi, Neymar and Suarez all scored after Ibrahimovic had put the guests ahead, and now the Parisians must work out how to abstain from surrendering a conceivably significant away goal against the intense Barcelona front three.
PSG will be without a few key players for the first leg of their Champions League semi-last against Barcelona.
Without the suspended Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Laurent Blanc has an injury concern over midfield general Thiago Motta (thigh), while midfield lynchpin Marco Verratti misses the conflict through suspension. David Luiz has been named in the squad regardless of concerns over a hamstring problem.
Barcelona have no big injury worries for the game at Paris, with long term absentee Thomas Vermaelen, Jodri Masip, Douglas and Rafinha all set to be absent.
Probable Line ups;
PSG (4-4-2)
Sirigu; Van der Wiel, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva, Maxwell; Lucas, Matuidi, Rabiot, Pastore; Cavani, Lavezzi.
Barcelona (4-3-3)
Stegen; Dani Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Jordi Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta; Suarez, Messi, Neymar.
Prediction; PSG 2 -2 Barcelona
Barcelona are on hot form at the moment and PSG's injury and suspension problems does them a lot of good. I see them taking something back with them to the Camp Nou.
No comments:
Post a Comment