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| Credit: (AP Photo/Joan Monfort) |
Champions league is back in action this Tuesday for Round of 16 ties. The last time these 2 European giants faced off Barcelona mounted one of the greatest comebacks in UCL history with a 6-1 win over PSG back in 2017.
This time around however both teams have undergone quite a few changes from players to coaches.
With record signing Neymar out of action for PSG will Mbappe & company leave Camp Nou with a 1st leg advantage or will the Blaugruna successful defend home soil?
Head to Head: Last 5 games: 4 Barcelona wins, 0 draws and 1 PSG win
Barcelona Form
Last 5 games - 4 Wins 0 Draws 1 Loss
On the back of a disappointing 2-0 loss to Sevilla last Wednesday in the Copa Del Rey semi final, Barcelona made a commanding rebound by defeating Alaves 5-1 on Sunday with Messi and Trincao accounting for 4 of the goals.
Barca will definitely have their shooting boots on for the PSG matchup. The concern comes with their defense as they have a key injuries and important defenders out of this fixture. They've conceded at least 2 goals in 3 of their last 5 games.
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Injuries: Gerard Pique, Sergi Roberto, Ronald Araujo, Philippe Coutinho, Ansu Fati, Martin Braithwaite
PSG Form
Last 5 games - 4 Wins 0 Draws 1 Loss (4 game winning streak)
Coming into this fixture PSG are currently on a 4 game winning streak having not conceded a goal in 3 of their last 5 games. They will be missing some starpower up in attack with Neymar and Di Maria injured leaving Mbappe to carry the offensive load.
The Parisians should be able to score against Barcelona but given their history against this side, will the defense be able to prevent the offensive onslaught of the Spanish giants?
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| Credit: STEPHANE MAHE AND REUTERS |
Injuries: Juan Bernat, Timothee Pembele, Angel Di Maria, Neymar
Doubtful: Colin Dagba, Rafinha
Final Prediction - PSG 2-2 Barcelona
Bookies have Barcelona listed as favorites to win and for good reason historically. Given the history between these 2 sides offense will no doubt be on full display. The question begs to be asked which defense will be able to contain the other offense better.
There's not much to seperate the sides as they can both be shaky defensively so we will stick with a draw in what should be a high scoring affair. With Pochettino now at the helm on fire and Barcelona momentum slowing down a bit, we should see PSG come away with at least something in this fixture.