Barcelona, who have disappointed in the Champions League in recent seasons, will host PSG in the decisive second leg of their quarter-finals on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, Barcelona, who lifted the Champions League trophy in 2006, 2009, 2011 and 2015, will seek only the second UCL semi-final place in the last nine years. The last time the team reached the top four was in 2019.
This time, the Catalan club’s chances of making it to the top four are good after winning the first part last week, the Brazilian striker Raph 3–2 in Paris by two complete hits.
Of those present at the Barcelona opening Pau from Cubars17, and Lamine from Yamal16, became the youngest teenage players to play in the men’s Champions League quarterfinals.
Coach Xavi Hernández must still trust in the power of youth because Andreas Christensen and Sergi Roberto are on the sidelines due to suspensions.
– Raphinha is the team’s key player on Tuesday. He has been a very important player for us this season, in addition to goals and assists, but also from a defensive point of view. In the deciding match, it’s about the football players, not the coaches, Xavi reminded the media.
– The Montjuïc stadium (54,000 spectators) is not Camp Nou (99,354 spectators), but I hope it looks like it and is a similar pressure cooker. There will certainly be difficult moments when PSG will make us suffer. We need the support of the fans, pleaded Xavi.
Barcelona’s 21-year-old midfielder Peter assures that the team is excited about the future.
– Personally, the match is the most important I’ve had as a player so far – along with the EC semi-final (2021, loss to Italy 1-1, rp 2-4.). Opposite are two equal teams that want to play the same way, Pedri said.
Paris SG is focused on the match without the match stress of the weekend. When Fullback Achraf Hakimi is released from suspension, Luis Enrique can pick the squad that they had great success with against Real Sociedad in the UCL quarter-finals.
Kylian Mbappé remained in the dark in the opening part of the teams, but the PSG star is unlikely to have another bad game in a row.
– Everything is still open in the match series. We play in Barcelona with great ambition. “PSG have never advanced at this level after losing the first leg, but Tuesday will be that day,” Luis Enrique told AFP.
In the second quarter-final of the Champions League evening, starting at 10 p.m., Dortmund and Atletico Madrid face each other (Part 1 1–2). On Wednesday, Bayern Munich hosted Arsenal (2–2) and Manchester City hosted Real Madrid (3–3).