PSG vs Barcelona preview

April 14, 2015
By: Nemanja Lazarevic

PSG vs BarcelonaIt was Barcelona that won the quarter-final clash on away goals two years back and no doubt the Saints will be hoping to get revenge on the Catalans and reach the CL semis for the second time in their history.

The Spanish giants were beaten at Parc des Princes in the group stage this season and now hope to fare much better in the first leg of the high-profile tie.

Heavy investment into the playing squad quickly paid off for the Qatari owners as the Saints not only won two league titles in a row, but also largely impressed in Europe’s elite competition.

PSG were pretty unfortunate to be stopped in the quarter-finals in successive campaigns, losing to Barcelona and Chelsea on away goal rule, but they did manage to get revenge on the Blues.

The Saints showed a great deal of character to eliminate the Premier League leaders in the previous stage and now hope to get one over Barcelona as well.

And even though the hosts will be missing a number of important players in the first leg, it is important to note that home win pays 5.00 (4/1).

The likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Marco Verratti and Serge Aurier are all banned, while David Luiz misses out through injury.

Thiago Motta has done some light training after suffering a muscle injury, but he remains a major doubt for the visit of Barcelona.

Probable starting line-up (4-3-3): Sirigu – van der Wiel, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva, Maxwell – Rabiot, Cabaye, Matuidi – Lavezzi, Cavani, Pastore.

Barcelona recovered well from a trophy-less season last term and are now in contention for three major trophies ahead of the final stretch of the season.

The Catalans are widely tipped to see off Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final, while they remain the favourites to lift the La Liga trophy despite slipping up against Sevilla at the weekend.

Barcelona had to settle for a 2-2 draw after squandering a two-goal lead, but things were never going to be that easy against red-hot Rojiblancos.

The Catalans shift their focus towards the Champions League campaign, where they have a perfect opportunity to defeat severely weakened PSG, with away win available at 1.80 (4/5).

Marc-Andre ter Stegen will replace Claudio Bravo in the starting line-up, but Dani Alves is banned and Thomas Vermaelen is unlikely to play.

The latest reports suggest Luis Enrique is pondering a switch to 3-4-3 formation, but he will probably stick to a four-man defence, trusting Adriano to replace his compatriot.

Probable starting line-up (4-3-3): ter Stegen – Adriano, Pique, Mathieu, Alba – Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta – Messi, Suarez, Neymar.

We Highly Recommend These Places
Share your Opinion!