Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain are ready to clash in the second leg of a quarterfinal Champions League match at the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium.
Barcelona won the first game in Paris 3–2. Raphinha and Andreas Christensen each found the back of the net. In fact, the Brazilian was able to do so twice. The end result was something of a surprise, as they only had 41.4% possession and had three fewer shot attempts at 15. But Marc-Andre ter Stegen held firm and was able to come up with four saves.
Conversely, the French side only had Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha able to produce one goal each. They controlled large portions of this game, as they had the majority of possession and more shots. However, not as many were threatening, as they could only muster six attempts on target. Finally, the defense and Gianluigi Donnarumma were ultimately not good enough, as the keeper could only muster three saves.
But do you see PSG being able to make something of the match in Barcelona?
Barcelona vs. PSG Notable Trends
Barcelona
The Spaniards have done well through competition. They have won six games, drawn once, and lost twice. After finishing first in Group H, they went on to advance against Napoli. But even back to the group stages, they haven’t won by as convincing margins as you might expect. In group play, they scored 12 goals and allowed six. Furthermore, they only managed a one-to-one draw and a more convincing 3-1 win against Napoli.
Robert Lewandowski, Joao Felix, and Ferran Torres have each scored three goals. Ilkay Gundogan leads the team in assists with four. Meanwhile, Pedri is also contributing three assists. Finally, ter Stegen has amassed 16 saves.
PSG
The team from the French capital finished second in Group F, behind Dortmund. In group play, they finished with two wins, two draws, and two losses and only had a plus-one goal differential. However, they did manage to advance against Real Sociedad to make it to this point. But overall, the margins have been slim, and the attack moving forward has not been good enough to consider them a threat to move much further into the competition.
Kylian Mbappe scored six goals throughout all games. Meanwhile, Lucas Hernandez and Dembele are among those who have grabbed one goal in Champions League play. Donnarumma has made 32 saves so far.
Barcelona vs. PSG Probable Starting Lineups
Barcelona: Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Pau Cubarsi, Joao Cancelo, Pedri, Ilkay Gündogan, Frenkie de Jong, Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha
PSG: Gianluigi Donnarumma, Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Lucas Beraldo, Lucas Hernandez, Warren Zaire-Emery, Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha, Ousmane Dembele, Goncalo Ramos, Kylian Mbappe
Barcelona vs. PSG Head-To-Head
The Spanish team has won two out of the last five games, while the French side has also won two of the last five games, the other ending in a draw. Before this year, three of the last four games were lopsided victories for the winter. PSG won 4-1 and 4-0, and Barcelona won 6-1 in between those games. But those were played in 2021 and even further back.
Injury Report
Andreas Christensen and Sergi Roberto will be unavailable to play against PSG as they are serving red card suspensions. Meanwhile, Gavi is not expected back this season as he has a ligament injury. Finally, Layvin Kurzawa, Presnel Kimpembe, and Sergio Rico we’ll miss today’s game against Barcelona due to injury.
About the Author
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