๐ ๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐จ๐ง ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฆ ๐๐
The time has come to witness the enigmatic quarter-final first leg between the French titleholder and the Spanish giants. Paris Saint Germain vs Barcelona will take place on Thursday at the Parc des Princes. Luis Enrique will come face to face with his former employee and his former teammate Xavi Hernรกndez.
Paris Saint-Germain defeated Real Sociedad in the Round of 16 by an aggregate score of 4-1 and made it to the quarter-final of the Champions League. They are also 5-games away from their third consecutive Ligue 1 title win.
Barcelona had a difficult time against Napoli in the round of 16 but eventually came out victorious in the 2nd leg with an aggregate score of 4-2. With their La Liga title hopes coming to an end, the Catalans still have their spirits up for the Champions League title.
PSG have scored an average of 1.07 goals in the first half as compared to 0.5 of Barcelona in the ongoing season.
The betting tip is...
PSG will score in the first half of the match
58 %
42 %
The wounds of the 2017 defeat against their Spanish counterparts are still alive in the memories of PSGโs team management. However, Luis Enrique wonโt be repeating the 2017 mistakes of Unai Emery.
The round-of-16 affair against Real Sociedad was not a major trouble for the hosts. Les Parisiens scored a dominating win in both legs and confirmed their presence in the quarter-finals. Overall, PSG has recorded an average possession of 65% this season with a record of 39% wins with clean sheets. An average of 11.64 shots have been taken by the club out of which 20% of shots have seen conversion.
Kylian Mbappรฉ has raised the bar this season as well with 24 goals and 6 assists on his name. However, the issue between Enrique and Mbappe continues to persist in the media as the former benched the latter in the previous fixture against Clermont Foot. As a result, the hosts witnessed a draw and failed to win an easy fixture against the bottom-most team.
PSG has conceded an average of 0.86 goals this season with an average of 1.07 goals at home. They have won 11 clean sheets out of 28 fixtures this season and hence their defence can be considered as their foremost strength.
Presnel Kimpembe (Achilles), Layvin Kurzawa (back) and Sergio Rico (head trauma) are all out because of their respective injuries.
Predicted Lineup: Donnarumma; Zaire-Emery, Marquinhos, Skriniar, Mendes; Lee, Ugarte, Vitinha; Dembele, Ramos, Mbappe
After four years of drought, the Catalans have finally made it to the quarter-final of the Champions League. Their 13-year streak was broken in 2020 and this year they overpowered Napoli to make sure that this year their departing manager Xavi Hernandez makes history.
Since his resignation in January after the shocking 5-3 loss against Villarreal, Xavi has been on a winning streak of 11 matches. The streak also includes a home win over their Italian counterparts in the round of 16. Overall, Barcelona has also recorded an average possession of 65% but a stunning 43% clean sheets. They have recorded an average of 12.67 shots in every game with 16% shots getting converted this season.
The Polish forward Robert Lewandowski is their leading scorer with 13 goals and 8 assists on his name. The former Bayern Munich star has already given a hint about his retirement and hence lifting the European Title will be on his mind. Ferrรกn Torres and Joรฃo Fรฉlix have also contributed with 7 and 6 goals respectively.
Xaviโs major troubles lie in the defence of his team. The club has conceded an average of 1.13 goals this season with 1.07 in away fixtures. However, 13 clean sheets in 30 fixtures speak volumes of their strength at the back.
Gavi (ACL) and Alejandro Balde (hamstring) are confirmed for their absence against the PSG fixture.
Predicted Lineup: Ter Stegen; Kounde, Cubarsi, Araujo, Cancelo; De Jong, Gundogan, Lopez; Yamal, Lewandowski, Raphinha
Thursday is going to be a tense fixture between both European giants. PSG will be eyeing revenge for the 2017 loss and the team is coming back in action after a draw and a win in the last two fixtures.
Barcelona has not been in action in the last week but carries the potential to give a tough fight to the hosts.
Their defence needs to be tightened up a bit for the away fixture. We predict a draw between the PSG and Barcelona on Thursday.
