Barcelona welcome Paris Saint-Germain to Camp Nou on Tuesday for the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie.
PSG finished ahead of RB Leipzig, Manchester United and Istanbul Basaksehir to clinch top spot in Group H.
Take on your week like @andresiniesta8 took on the whole PSG team back in the days. 💪 #MondayMotivation pic.twitter.com/QJNqHEbg91— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) February 15, 2021
Take on your week like @andresiniesta8 took on the whole PSG team back in the days. 💪 #MondayMotivation pic.twitter.com/QJNqHEbg91
Meanwhile, Barcelona finished second in Group G – level on 15 points with Juventus and 11 points clear of third-place Dynamo Kiev.
Barcelona picked up five wins from their six group games, scoring 15 goals while conceding just five along the way.
However, after losing 0-3 to Juventus on Matchday 6, Barca ended up finishing second in Group G due to their inferior head-to-head record.
Following a slow start to the season, it’s fair to say that Barcelona are finally looking somewhere near their best again.
Indeed, the Spanish side are enjoying a 12-match unbeaten streak in La Liga, including seven straight victories.
Barcelona crushed Alaves 5-1 on Saturday, with Lionel Messi and Trincao both netting a brace, along with a goal from Firpo.
On the flip side, PSG won four of their six group matches, scoring 13 goals while conceding six in the process.
Thomas Tuchel was sacked shortly after the group stage, with Mauricio Pochettino coming in as the club’s new head coach.
PSG have only lost one of their last 11 Ligue 1 matches, picking up eight wins and two draws during that period.
With both Lyon and Lille pushing for the Ligue 1 title, it’s fair to say that PSG aren’t having things all their own way in France this season.
Having said that, the team’s performances have certainly improved since Pochettino replaced Tuchel back in December.
Head-to-head: Barcelona and PSG produced one of the most dramatic Round of 16 ties ever witnessed in the Champions League back in 2017.
PSG won the first leg 4-0 in Paris, before Barcelona claimed a remarkable 6-1 victory at Camp Nou to secure a record-breaking turnaround.
Barcelona have won four of their previous five matches against PSG, with that run stretching back to 2014.
Team news: Moussa Wague, Ansu Fati, Gerard Pique, Philippe Coutinho, Sergi Roberto and Ronal Araujo are all currently injured for Barcelona.
PSG will be without Juan Bernat, Neymar, Timothee Pembele, Colin Dagba and Angel Di Maria due to injury on Tuesday.
PSG have shown improvements under Pochettino, but Barcelona are expected to carry their unstoppable domestic form onto the European stage.
Forebet predicts that Barcelona will score over 2.5 goals on their way to victory on Tuesday, although PSG are also likely to get on the scoresheet.