Paris Saint-Germain face FC Barcelona on Tuesday 20 October (9pm) at the Parc des Princes in a UEFA Champions League group stage clash. The Parisians, second in Ligue 1 with 14 points, approach the match with confidence after two straight wins, including a 4-2 victory at Manchester City last week. They have notably scored at least one goal in the final 15 minutes of their last five matches, accumulating 87 minutes of play from a winning position in that period.
Manager Luis Enrique must cope without the injured Nuno Mendes, who has a thigh problem. Lucas Hernandez, Lucas Digne or even Warren Zaïre-Emery, who has played in that role before, are options to replace him. They face a Barcelona side that are the double defending Spanish champions, have won all eleven of their matches this season across all competitions, and average 4.3 goals per game. "The best way to defend against Lamine Yamal is to have the ball," said Luis Enrique. "That is our ideal, but it won’t be like that because we know how difficult it is to play against Barça."
In the last meeting between the clubs last season, Paris Saint-Germain won 2-1 despite missing Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Marquinhos. Senny Mayulu and Gonçalo Ramos scored for the Parisians, with Ferran Torres netting for the Catalans. Torres, who has since been signed by Paris Saint-Germain, is the club's top scorer this season with 4 goals in 7 appearances. Barcelona will be without defenders Eric Garcia and Jules Koundé.
Paris Saint-Germain's recent form, with four wins from their last five matches, is a positive. Ousmane Dembélé, who scored and provided an assist in the 3-1 win at Strasbourg on Saturday, approaches the fixture with ambition. Spanish midfielder and world champion Rodri described the match as a "good test" against "the best team in Europe" to gauge Barcelona's true level. For Paris, it's a chance to confirm their European momentum before traveling to face Real Madrid, their next Champions League opponent, in three weeks. The upcoming fixtures show this match is a key moment before the international break.
Background and full detail: Paris Saint-Germain.fr
