Barcelona vs PSG as it happened: Luis Enrique's men defy history to reach Champions League quarter-finals
Re-live all the action from the Nou Camp
Barcelona suffered an emphatic 4-0 defeat in Paris two weeks ago but outgoing coach Luis Enrique is confident his side can “score six” to advance in what would be the most remarkable second-leg comeback in the history of the competition.
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Your support makes all the difference.No team has ever overturned a 4-0 first-leg deficit and Paris Saint-Germain won’t give up their advantage easily at the Camp Nou.
Barca have been off the pace this season, leading to Enrique to confirm he would leave at the end of the season, but they were back to their best on the weekend, scoring five goals against Celta Vigo – the amount that is required on Wednesday night.
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Vital Information…
The game kicks off at 7.45pm on Wednesday 8 March. BT Sport 2 will be providing coverage.
Form Guide…
Barcelona: WLWWWW
PSG: WWDWWW
Team news…
Barcelona have new injury worries for what could be Enrique’s final Champions League as their manager, with only defenders Jeremy Mathieu and Aleix Vidal remaining sidelined.
PSG have received a triple boost ahead of the game with midfielders Adrien Rabiot, Angel Di Maria and Thiago Motta all available and have travelled to Barcelona after recovering from their respective injuries.
Player to watch…
Lionel Messi. There are goals that need to be scored for Barcelona and Messi will be the centre of everything on Wednesday evening. Luis Suarez and Neymar will work off him but with the hosts needing at least four goals to take the game to extra time, you can be sure Messi will be in full attacking flow to ensure it happens.
Best stat…
Barcelona have progressed past the round of 16 in each of the last nine seasons, the longest run ever in the competition. The last time they failed to reach the quarter-finals was in 2006-07 against Liverpool.
Odds…
Barcelona to win: 8/15
PSG to win: 19/5
Draw: 19/5
Good evening and welcome to The Independent's live coverage of tonight's Champions League clash between Barcelona and PSG!
The hosts have quite the task ahead of them this evening as they bid to overturn the Ligue 1 side's four-goal advantage - something that has never been done at this stage of the competition before. Luis Enrique still believes nonetheless, claiming his side are capable of scoring six tonight... Will that be the case? We'll have to wait and see!
Team news to follow shortly so stay tuned...
The Barca team is in!
The big guns are on full show tonight with Barcelona's famed front three leading the line as per usual. Rakitic earns a start and fans will be hoping to see plenty of his relentless energy in the middle tonight as the home side bid to overturn that daunting four-goal deficit.
Barcelona: Ter Stegen, Rafinha, Pique, Mascherano, Umtiti, Busquets, Rakitic, Iniesta, Neymar, Messi, Suarez.
Subs: Cillessen, Arda, Paco Alcácer, J.Alba, Digne, Sergi Roberto, A.Gomes.
Writing in our weekly coach's column, former Valencia manager Pako Ayestaran outlined his blueprint for a stunning Barcelona fightback. His main points? The Spaniard explains that the opening 15-20 minutes will be crucial and cites mental strength as a key factor for both sides this evening. Read on for more of his insight...
PSG team news!
Starting XI: Trapp; Meunier, Marquinhos, Silva (c), Kurzawa; Rabiot, Verratti, Matuidi; Lucas, Cavani, Draxler
Angel Di Maria's fitness has been a concern for the French side recently and it seems Unai Emery has decided against risking the winger. The Argentine starts on the bench tonight but could be called upon later this evening if needs be...
One man who still believes in a Barcelona fightback is no other than club legend Xavi. Despite admitting that PSG were the better side in the first-leg (which they obviously were...), the Spaniard believes Luis Enrique's men still have a chance of pulling off what seems near-impossible.
“I watched the game at home on TV and from my perspective, it came down to a matter of intensity and pace," he recently said.
“I think that PSG were better than Barca in all the key areas of the game.
“As a result, PSG played such an amazing game. For them it was the perfect game and for Barca, it was the opposite.
The man, the myth, the legend - Xavi Hernández
“If Barca can’t turn it around in the second leg – and I still think they have chance – then of course it will have an impact on the overall competition.
“They are one of the favourites to win the tournament, and if I’m not wrong, it would be the first time in the last eight years that they have been knocked out at this stage in the competition.”
↵Our main man Miguel Delaney is at the Nou Camp tonight (lucky so-and-so..) He was in attendance at Luis Enrique's recent press conference and had this to say...
A quick reminder that Dortmund and Benfica are playing tonight too. The Germans have a significantly smaller mountain to climb as they bid to overturn just the one goal. Here's the lowdown on that game:
↵So what's been said ahead of tonight's game? Well Enrique's claims have been fairly outlandish by anyone's measures. Striking an emboldened and hugely optimistic figure in his pre-match press conference, the Spaniard said that his side could "score six" against PSG tonight. Fightin' talk or wishful thinking? You've got to at least applaud the man for his belief.
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