FC Barcelona are looking to continue their good momentum, as they face Paris Saint-Germain, who are also doing well recently. Considering their run in UCL,, it is not surprising that these two teams reached this stage. Barcelona qualified for the quarterfinals, following their 4-2 aggregate win against Napoli, dominating their opponent. Additionally, Barcelona are doing well domestically, as they are currently at the second of the league table. Meanwhile, for PSG, they also dominated their opponent during the knockout round. Moreover, PSG are actually top contenders in their domestic league, seating at the top of the league table. The meeting between these two teams is on April 11, 2024, at 3:00 AM (GMT+8).
FC Barcelona
Barcelona manager, Enrique, is five games away from ending PSG’s Champions League hoodoo and offering Kylian Mbappe a parting gift. PSG’s last-16 match with Real Sociedad was not expected to pose much problems, but Enrique’s team managed to score 2-0 and 2-1 victories over Imanol Alguacil’s troops. However, Enrique benched Mbappe for the weekend’s top-versus-bottom Ligue 1 match against Clermont, who led until the 85th minute before Goncalo Ramos saved the game. Despite failing to beat the worst team in the French top flight, PSG still holds champions-elect status, sitting 10 points clear at the top with six games left to play. Ramos’s late leveller extended the hosts’ unbeaten run in all tournaments to 27 matches. Les Parisiens’ most recent defeat was in a Champions League trip to AC Milan in November, and the hosts’ penchant for catastrophic European collapses is evident.
Barcelona has seven players at risk of missing the second leg if they enter the referee’s book, but none of Xavi’s troops is banned for the opening fixture. Pedri, Christensen, and de Jong have been training with the team, with de Jong having the best chance of receiving green light.
Paris Saint-Germain
Barcelona, after a 6-1 defeat of PSG in 2016-17, are now in the quarter-finals for the first time since the 2019-20 season. Xavi announced his resignation after a 5-3 loss to Villarreal in January. This leads to an 11-game unbeaten streak across all competitions. This includes a 3-1 home win over Napoli in the second leg of their last-16 tie. Barcelona has also defeated Mallorca, Atletico Madrid, and Las Palmas in their last three Spanish top-flight contests, keeping three clean sheets. With eight games to go, Barcelona may struggle to make up an eight-point gap to Real Madrid. However, PSG has a history of spectacular turnarounds, as seen in their two-legged last-16 affair in 2020-21. Barcelona can now seek revenge by inflicting the same treatment on Real Madrid-bound Mbappe.
PSG’s senior stars are in good shape for Wednesday’s match against Clermont, with Mbappe returning to the first XI. Ex-Barca attacker Ousmane Dembele and captain Marquinhos are also expected to return. Lucas Hernandez, Warren Zaire-Emery, Bradley Barcola, and Nuno Mendes will also be in the squad.
Prediction:
FC Barcelona (1.5)
Odds: -0.85
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