Champions League Team News and Prediction: Barcelona vs PSG
When the last-16 draw was made, the stand out tie was Barcelona's meeting with PSG. While the watching world will have to wait that bit longer to see Neymar in action against his former employers, this is still an encounter between two heavyweights in Europe slugging it out for a spot in the next round of the Champions League.
Ahead of tonight's monster meeting in Spain, we run through the key pre-match information, including when and how to watch the game, the key injury news and probable XIs.
When is kick off?
Tuesday 16th February, 20:00 GMT
Where is the match?
Camp Nou, Barcelona
Where can I watch it?
BT Sport 3 / BT Sport Ultimate
Form Guide
Barcelona started the season poorly under Ronald Koeman, but the Dutchman's plans are beginning to reach the players and, as such, they come into the welcome of PSG on a run of 11 wins in 13 matches, with the blips on the record book coming in a 3-2 loss to Athletic Club and 2-0 defeat at Sevilla, both of which, though, did come in cup competitions. A 3-0 home defeat to Juventus saw them finish second in Group G to set up a meeting with PSG.
The French side pipped RB Leipzig to top spot in Group H and have been in good form of late, winning eight of their last nine competitive games, with a surprise 3-2 defeat to Lorient the only negative in that period. PSG have lost just one of their last eight away matches, too, which is a boost as they look to secure a result in Spain that'll give them the best possible chance of progressing to the quarter-finals.
Team News
The big boost for Barcelona is the potential availability of Gerard Pique, who trained with the first team on Monday as the centre-back looks to make his first appearance since November. Miralem Pjanic and Sergino Dest were fit enough to play some part in the 5-1 win over Alaves at the weekend to swell Ronald Koeman's ranks, but the Dutchman is unable to call upon injured quintet Coutinho, Martin Braithwaite, Sergio Roberto, Ansu Fati and Ronald Araujo.
In the PSG camp, the huge news is the absence of Neymar. The Brazilian joins fellow attacker Angel Di Maria on the sidelines, with the pair's unavailability big blows for the Mauricio Pochettino. Marco Verratti and former Barcelona man Rafinha will be assessed, with the former key for the Argentine, so the midfielder is set to be handed every possible opportunity to prove his fitness. Julian Draxler is on standby to deputise should Verratti miss out. Mauro Icardi is in line to make his first Champions League appearance of the season.
Probable XIs
Barcelona (433) - Ter Stegen; Mingueza, Pique, Lenglet, Alba; De Jong, Busquets, Pedri; Dembele, Messi, Griezmann
PSG (4231) - Navas; Florenzi, Marquinhos, Kimpembe, Kurzawa; Paredes, Gueye; Kean, Verratti, Mbappe; Icardi
The last meeting between Barcelona and PSG was iconic. Having fallen to a 4-0 first leg defeat to PSG, the odds were against the Blaugrana in the return leg at Camp Nou. 2017's La Remontada is a game Barcelona fans remember fondly, but one PSG supporters are keen to forget. In a historic night in Barcelona, Luis Suarez scored early on before a Layvin Kurzawa own goal halved the deficit.
Lionel Messi scored Barcelona's third goal of the night shortly after the restart, but it seemed any hopes of one of the greatest comebacks in Champions League history were extinguished when Edinson Cavani bagged an away goal with an hour on the clock. The Blaugrana did not yield, however, and they scored three times from the 88th minute onwards to win 6-1 on the night and 6-5 on aggregate.
Key Battle - Lionel Messi vs Kylian Mbappe
Enduring a sub-par season in the opinion of some, Lionel Messi is still the best rated player in the Champions League this season having garnered a WhoScored rating of 8.94. While Messi has scored just three goals and provided two assists, the Argentine still ranks first for shots (28), key passes (16) and successful dribbles (23) of those remaining in the competition.
Barcelona aren't the only side with a world class player in the ranks and while Neymar would have been the obvious focus for PSG, his absence opens up the chance for Kylian Mbappe to steal the show. The France star has had a direct hand in five goals in five Champions League appearances this season, netting twice, all of which came in wins over Istanbul Basaksehir. Expected to face off against the inexperienced Oscar Mingueza, Mbappe will look to leave his mark on this last-16 tie.
Score Prediction: Barcelona 2-1 PSG
