Di Maria racing to be fit to face Barca
The second leg of the clash takes place at Camp Nou on Wednesday night and the Blaugrana will need to turn in a performance for the ages to book a place in the quarter-finals.
PSG stunned the Spanish champions at Parc des Princes, winning 4-0, and need only to avoid a reverse of similar proportions to seal an impressive result.
TV CHANNEL & LIVE STREAM
In the UK, the match will be available to watch live on television on BT Sport 2 and free on BT Sport Showcase. It can also be streamed via the BT Sport app, with coverage beginning at 7pm GMT.
In the US, the match will be available to watch live on television on FS1 and by stream via Fox Soccer 2Go, with coverage beginning at 2pm ET and 11am PT.
SQUADS & TEAM NEWS
Jeremy Mathieu and Aleix Vidal (both ankle) are injured and were the only players to miss Barcelona’s final training session on Tuesday, leaving Luis Enrique with a few potential tactical options.
The Barca manager has successfully introduced what has been called a 3-4-3 formation since the thrashing in the first leg against PSG, though in practise it is almost impossible to actually label.
In the 5-0 win over Celta Vigo at the weekend, it saw Jordi Alba play in a deeper, more conservative role on the left side of the defence, with Sergi Roberto pushed up into a four-man midfield line on the right. Rafinha, however, also drifted out to that side, allowing Lionel Messi to play more centrally.
When Barca were defending it looked like a 4-4-2 diamond, with Sergi Roberto dropping back into right-back and Alba sliding over to create a more conventional back four. Messi stayed in the middle, with Ivan Rakitic and Rafinha either side of Sergio Busquets.
Potential starting XI: Ter Stegen; Pique, Umtiti, Alba; Sergi Roberto, Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta; Messi, Suarez, Neymar.
Thiago Silva is fit and should be in the PSG team after missing the first leg, with Presnel Kimpembe likely to drop out of the starting XI that recorded the 4-0 win at Parc des Princes.
Angel Di Maria is a doubt, however, and Unai Emery will make a late decision on whether the Argentine is able to play. There was also concern over Adrien Rabiot but he is expected to start, while Thiago Motta is definitely out.
Lucas Moura is likely to replace Di Maria in a front three that will also include Edinson Cavani and Julian Draxler.
Potential starting XI: Trapp; Meunier, Marquinhos, Silva, Kurzawa; Rabiot, Verratti, Matuidi; Lucas, Cavani, Draxler.
BETTING & GAME ODDS
Barcelona are odds-on favourites to win the match with most bookmakers offering 4/9 on a home victory, according to Oddschecker. The draw is priced at approximately 4/1 and a PSG win comes in at around 11/2.
To qualify, however, PSG are heavy 1/20 favourites thanks to their four-goal aggregate lead. Barcelona can be backed to pull off a stunning comeback at 10/1.
Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez are billed as most likely to score the first goal of the match at 3/1, and surprisingly Paco Alcacer (9/2) is shorter than Neymar (5/1) with many bookmakers. Edinson Cavani is priced similarly to the Brazilian.
GAME PREVIEW
Having scored 11 goals in their past two games, Barcelona have certainly looked good in their preparation for the task that faces them against PSG.
The standard of opposition in those two matches, though, was considerably lower than that which they will face at Camp Nou on Wednesday and Luis Enrique will need all of his stars to be shining brightly to have any chance of making a record-breaking comeback.
Only nine teams have ever recovered from as much as a two-goal aggregate deficit in the Champions League knockout rounds and Deportivo La Coruna’s 4-0 win over AC Milan after a 4-1 defeat in the first leg remains the greatest reversal.
PSG will be keen to ensure they do not end up in the history books for all the wrong reasons, and in Emery they have a coach who has developed a reputation as a knockout specialist.
After leading Sevilla to three consecutive Europa League triumphs, the first-leg victory was PSG’s most impressive result yet since their Qatari takeover and can be cemented as a step into Europe’s true elite by passing the test now in front of them in Catalonia.
Retaining the Ligue 1 title is going to be a battle for PSG, with Monaco currently three points ahead of them in the table, and so proving his European credentials is vital to the perceived success of Emery’s first season in charge.
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It is hard to see him being fooled by anything Luis Enrique can come up with. While Barca’s formation change has brought three excellent results so far, it has also offered Emery a preview of and time to prepare for what is coming on Wednesday.
