After suffering a 4-0 mauling by Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg, FC Barcelona are on the brink of their earliest exit in the UEFA Champions League and have it all to do in the second leg at the Nou Camp on Wednesday
Never before in the history of the competition has a 4-0 deficit been overturned and for a regular team it would be nigh impossible.
Barcelona, however, are no ordinary team and if there is any side that can complete the monumental task, it is them. Still, Paris Saint-Germain are a team that are buzzing with belief and most certainly won’t make it easy for the Catalans.
Barcelona
La Blaugrana have recovered from their mauling at the hands of the Parisiens, with four wins on the trot since then, scoring 14 and conceding three in the process.
The goal glut suggests that their famed ‘MSN’ trio is back in business and no better time than what might well be Luis Enrique’s final game in Europe with Barcelona.
In the aftermath of that disastrous night in Paris, Enrique announced that he won’t be renewing his contract and will depart in the summer. So the onus is on Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez to give their coach a befitting farewell by recovering some pride at the Nou Camp.
While Messi has been sensational in recent weeks, he was anonymous in the first leg and it is a given that when the Argentine has an off day, Barcelona end up on the losing side.
Having said that, football is a team game and the likes of Neymar and Suarez need to step on the big game and it all depends if their midfield will be able supply the forwards with ample ammunition on the night. Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic have the un-enviable task of shackling PSG's dynamic midfield and there will be no margin for error on the night.
Defenders Jeremey Mathieu and Aleix Vidal are the only injury absentees for the the Catalans and they have no suspension issues, a much-needed boost for Luis Enrique’s side.
Paris Saint-Germain
While Angel di Maria ran rings around the Barcelona defence in the first leg, it was Les Parisiens' midfield that dominated the game, allowing their offensive teammates to run riot.
Marco Verrati, who has put to bed rumours of him joining the Catalans this week, was superb and had able support from young Adrien Rabbit and the ever-dependable Blaise Matuidi.
The trio in midfield suffocated Barcelona’s supply to their potent forwards and were always looking to hurt the Catalans on the counter by releasing the likes of di Maria and Edinson Cavani on the counter.
So, with Barcelona set to go for the jugular from the first minute itself, Unai Emery’s men will relish the pressure and look to hit the home side on the break all night long.
Thiago Motta has returned in training for PSG and is likely to make the bench and with no other injury or suspension concerns, the French side will be confident of progressing to the quarters.
Super Stat: Prior to their monumental 4-0 win over Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain had beaten the Catalans only once in seven meetings!