In a rematch of their classic encounter at the same stage four seasons ago, Barcelona will face Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the UEFA Champions League round of 16. The Champions League, Round of 16 draw was held in December last years in Nyon, Switzerland. (More Football News)
PSG wasted a 4-0 first-leg lead by losing 6-1 at Camp Nou in the second leg when Barcelona scored three goals from the 88th minute on. However, Neymar has since left Lionel Messi's side in Spain and switched to PSG, which also did not have Kylian Mbappe back then.
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Barcelona will host the first leg this time because they were unseeded in the draw after failing to win their group, which was topped by Juventus. Cristiano Ronaldo's Juve will face Porto.
Barcelona will have Lionel Messi in his best form this season as Catalan giants resume their campaign in Europe's top club competition. The Argentine great has scored nine goals in his last nine matches in all competitions, including a brace in the 5-1 rout of Alaves on Saturday.
ALSO READ: Neymar To Miss Barcelona UCL Clash
It remains unclear if coach Ronald Koeman will have Gerard Pique or Ronald Araujo back from injuries to boost the team’s defense. PSG also have injury concerns. Both Neymar and Angel Di Maria are out, putting pressure on Mbappe to carry the attack.
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Mbappe scored twice in the 5-1 win against Istanbul Basaksehir back in December — when the Turkish side had nothing but pride to play for — but more telling is that Mbappe had not scored in the nine previous Champions League games dating back to November 2019.
Without his two main creators, Mbappe will be heavily reliant on Marco Verratti pushing up as a makeshift playmaker. That makes Barcelona’s task straightforward in shutting him down. That's if Verratti even starts, because he is nursing a bruised hip.
Group winners were seeded in the draw and play the second leg at home.
Match and telecast details:
Match: UEFA Champions League 2020-21, Round of 16 first leg between Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain
Date: February 17 (Tuesday), 2020
Time: 1:30 AM IST
Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain
Where to watch UEFA Champions League matches live in India?
UEFA Champions League can be watched live on Sony Pictures Sports Network channels in India. (Sony Ten 2/HD and Sony Ten 3 in Hindi)
Live streaming of the UEFA Champions League will be available on SonyLIV.
Head-to-head: Overall, they have met 11 times with Barcelona winning five to PSG's three. Three matches ended in draws. In the Champions League, Barca lead 4-3.
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Likely XIs:
Barcelona: Stegen; Alba, Lenglet, Jong, Mingueza; Pedri, Busquets, Pjanic; Griezmann, Messi, Dembele.
PSG: Navas; Kurzawa, Kimpembe, Marquinhos, Florenzi; Gueye, Paredes; Mbappe, Verrati, Kean; Icardi.
Previous meetings:
UCL
2016/17: Round of 16 - Barca 6-1 PSG, PSG 4-0 Barca
2014/2015: QFs - Barca 2-0 PSG, PSG 1-3 Barca
2014/2015: Group F - Barca 3-1 PSG, PSG 3-2 Barca
2012/2013: QFs - Barca 1-1 PSG, PSG 2-2 Barca
1994/1995: QFs - PSG 2-1 Barca, Barca 1-1 PSG
Cup Winners Cup
1996.1997: Final - Barca 1-0 PSG
The return leg of Barca-PSG match will be played at the Parc des Princes on March 10, 2021.
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Other match-ups are: Borussia Monchengladbach vs Manchester City, Lazio vs Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid vs Chelsea, RB Leipzig vs Liverpool, Sevilla vs Borussia Dortmund and Atalanta vs Real Madrid.
