2023-24 UEFA Champions League: PSG vs Barcelona Prediction

EXPECTED XI

PSG

PREDICTED XI (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Marquinhos, Danilo Pereira, Skriniar, Nuno Mendes; Vitinha, Ugarte, Fabian Ruiz; Dembele, Goncalo Ramos, Mbappe

Barcelona

PREDICTED XI (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Joao Cancelo; Fermin Lopez, Christensen, Gundogan; Yamal, Lewandowski, Raphinha

PREDICTION

This marks the fifth meeting between these two teams in the UEFA Champions League knockout stages since the 2012/13 season. Their past encounters include memorable moments, such as Barcelona's incredible 'remontada' in 2017, where they overturned a four-goal deficit to win the second leg by six goals to one. However, the more recent round of 16 clash in the 2020/21 season saw PSG dominate with a resounding 4-1 victory at Camp Nou, providing a more accurate representation of the teams' current standing. PSG have consistently outperformed Barcelona in recent UEFA Champions League campaigns, boasting an arguably stronger squad and displaying a more cohesive style of play, despite Barcelona's improvement under Xavi's leadership. Thus, particularly with the advantage of playing the first leg at home, backing PSG seems to be the prudent choice for this encounter.