Three talking points ahead of PSG vs Barcelona

Barcelona and PSG are famed in the UEFA Champions League history books for a certain tie. A game that left fans and pundits across the globe stunned for years to come.

Down by four goals after the first leg of the Round of 16 in the 2016-17 season, many wrote Barcelona off before the second leg began. A mesmerising and jaw-dropping 90 minutes later, the Catalans came out on top with a 6-1 scoreline to advance to the next round.

A lot has changed since then. The substitute who scored the winning goal on the night, Sergi Roberto is now the captain of Barcelona while the manager who oversaw La Remontada, Luis Enrique, is ironically on the PSG bench.

The last time the two teams faced off in the UCL was back in the 2020-21 campaign when the French giants steamrolled past the Blaugranas 3-2 on aggregate.

Since then, Lionel Messi has left Barcelona, played at PSG for two seasons and left the club for Inter Miami. Tomorrow, the two teams meet again in the knockout rounds and one can expect a doozy of a clash.

Barça Universal brings you three talking points ahead of PSG vs Barcelona.

Rested and raring

The Copa del Rey final between Athletic Club and Mallorca last weekend was a spectacle to witness as the two finalists fought hard for a draw before the Basque side prevailed on penalties.

While the game did not have anything for Xavi’s side, it did indirectly gift them a much-needed break before a crucial game in the UCL.

With the matchday in La Liga suspended for the finale, Barcelona did not play at the weekend. Xavi’s men were thus rewarded with a complete ten-day hiatus from football after their win over Las Palmas, and the break could not have come at a better time.

The ten-day break gave the players and management the time they required to mentally prepare for the challenge ahead. Players like Ilkay Gundogan and Robert Lewandowski, who have been overworked, particularly stood to gain.

Others like Frenkie de Jong and Pedri, who were injured, utilised the time to…

Source link : https://barcauniversal.com/three-talking-points-ahead-of-psg-vs-barcelona/

Author : Adithya Eshwarla

Publish date : 2024-04-09 17:47:17

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.