Barcelona vs PSG: Re-match between familiar foes

A tantalizing clash awaits as Barcelona take on familiar foes PSG at Camp Nou on Tuesday evening.

This is arguably among the biggest clashes of this season’s Champions League, and fans of both teams, as well as neutrals, will be really looking forward to seeing how last season’s finalists PSG will fare against Lionel Messi and company. There will certainly be a lot at stake here. Four years ago, Barcelona lost the first leg of their round of 16 tie 4-0 in Paris. All pundits believed that it was game over for the Catalan giants, as no team, in Champions League history, had ever overcome such a huge deficit.

However, it’s said that Camp Nou is a magical place, and against all odds, the Blaugrana beat PSG 6-1 on the night to successfully book their spot in the quarter-finals. Called “La Remontada” in the Spanish press (“the Comeback”) it remains among the most remembered matches of recent times.

And one of the protagonists on the night? None other than Brazilian superstar Neymar. That also happened to be his last season at the Camp Nou, as the now 29-year-old made a huge money move to PSG that summer. Unfortunately for Neymar, he won’t be able to make an appearance in Tuesday’s highly anticipated showdown as he’s out with a long-term injury. In addition, another member of the famed “MSN” trio – Luis Suarez – has since moved on to Barcelona’s league rivals Atletico Madrid.

Both teams have warmed up for this titanic tussle in solid fashion. The hosts cruised to a comfortable 5-1 win over Alaves to make it five on the spin, but still sit in a distant third place, a whopping eight points away from league leaders Atletico Madrid. Meanwhile, PSG overpowered Nice 2-1, albeit had to work much harder than expected. Les Parisiens currently are in second place, just one point behind this season’s leaders Lille and have now moved past Lyon following their defeat to Montpellier.

Barcelona, currently under the tutelage of Dutch boss Ronald Koeman, come into this tie having lost just two of their last 18 games across all comps. One of these defeats was an embarrassing 2-0 loss to Sevilla in the Copa del Rey, but they’re still not out of that contest just yet. The second was a 3-2 defeat to Atletico Bilbao in the Spanish Super Cup final on January 17th. In terms of the Champions League, the Blaugrana were mostly flawless, save for a 3-0 loss to Juventus at the Camp Nou on matchday six. As a result, they ended up finishing as runners-up in their quartet, thus setting up a reunion with PSG in the round of 16.

The hosts will be looking to make amends following their 8-2 humiliating defeat to Bayern in last season’s Champions League, and to ensure they avoid crashing out at this juncture for the first time in over a decade; indeed, the last time Barcelona failed to progress from the round of 16 was during the 2006/2007 campaign when they were beaten by Liverpool on away goals.

In addition, Barcelona have a fantastic record against French sides, especially when it comes to playing at Camp Nou. So far in the Champions League, no French team has been able to depart the famous ground with a win. In fact, the only time any French team have been able to earn a victory was back in the 1980s, when Metz beat them in the 1984/85 Cup Winner’s Cup.

Meanwhile, PSG, now under the guidance of Mauricio Pochettino, will be eager to make another serious run in Europe’s premier club competition after finishing as runners-up last season. However, they have a frustrating record against Spanish teams. Including their 2017 collapse following Barcelona’s victory (some may say controversial) at Camp Nou, PSG haven’t beaten any Spanish side at this stage since 2013. Nonetheless, PSG are into the knockout rounds for the ninth straight season – an impressive feat considering that they’ve only been really a major force for less than a decade.

The task ahead for Pochettino, who led Tottenham to their first Champions League final in over 50 years, is certainly a tall one. Barcelona have lost just one of their last 33 home knockout ties and despite facing some absences, including 2017 hero of the night Sergio Roberto, the hosts still look set to have the cards in their favor. Or will PSG finally end their frustrating hoodoo, and in the process get revenge on the team that ended their Champions League dreams four years ago in heartbreaking fashion?