Barcelona is coming off what has been arguably the club’s best week in a few years, and one can only imagine the euphoria if another remontada against Paris Saint-Germain happens.
PSG will again be without Neymar, and Moises Kean will be joining him on the sideline. Ángel Di María and his team-leading nine assists has returned and got a few minutes over the weekend in a 3-0 win over Stade Brestois 29 in the French Cup. This commanding victory allowed Mauricio Pochettino to rotate and rest a few key players.
Key players Kylian Mbappé, coming off a first leg hat-trick, and Marco Verratti, did feature over the weekend but will be fresh for this one.
Since that match-up, Barcelona has settled in to a change in formation, one that may be better suited to keeping Mbappé at bay. Unfortunately Gerard Piqué and Ronald Araújo remain out, along with Philippe Coutinho, Ansu Fati, and 2017 remontada hero Sergi Roberto.
Even though Ronald Koeman is missing two of his centre-backs, he still may opt for the 3-5-2 formation that is unbeaten since making its debut last weekend against Sevilla in La Liga. Last time they met PSG, Sergiño Dest was tasked with defending Mbappé 1v1, but the 3-5-2 allows for a committee of Óscar Mingueza, Dest, and Frenkie de Jong to do the job.
We can talk about formations all we want, but overturning a 4-1 deficit when you need at least four away goals is less about tactics and more about belief. Regardless of the instructions that managers give, Culers could see a repeat of 2017 if Barcelona players can convince PSG that their old nightmare is happening again.
Back in 2017, Barcelona had Neymar and Luis Suárez of course, so this iteration doesn’t the same offensive firepower. What could tip that scale this time is the increased pressure on PSG to perform in the Champions League. Players and the new manager are all aware of the ramifications of PSG not winning Europe’s biggest trophy. If Barcelona can find a way to get them to feel that pressure and play like they have nothing to lose, it will make the comeback feel possible.
Another factor that could galvanize the team is the “new president bump” from Joan Laporta’s first week in charge. Without fans, PSG will not have the crowd to take them over the line, but could Laporta do that for the Blaugrana? Dan and Francesc discussed the immediate impact of Laporta on the latest edition of the podcast:
It’s a long shot. A very long shot. But as history has taught us, anything is possible when these two teams face off.
Dan Hilton is an American journalist, broadcaster, and current Editor-in-Chief of BarcaBlog. Extensive work as a play-by-play broadcaster, producer behind the scenes, and quite average player in his younger years has given him a well-rounded and informative perspective on the sport. Alongside BarcaBlog founder Francesc, Dan started The Barcelona Podcast in 2017
