PSG vs Barcelona Predictions
PSG welcome Barcelona to the Parc des Princes for a mouthwatering Champions League encounter on Tuesday.
Arguably the two strongest attacks in the Champions League should serve up a thrilling contest in Paris.
BTTS & over 3.5 goals is my best bet with both teams expected to score at least two goals.
Goals Inevitable in Paris
- PSG have seen BTTS & over 3.5 goals in their last 3 matches
- PSG have seen BTTS & over 3.5 goals in 4 of their last 6 matches against Barcelona
- PSG scored an average of 3.1 goals per game in their last 10 matches (UCL, league phase)
- Barcelona have seen BTTS & over 3.5 goals in 6 of their last 7 matches
- Barcelona scored an average of 3.1 goals per game in their last 10 matches (UCL, league phase)
PSG Edge Recent H2H
PSG and Barcelona have met five times since 2020. The Parisians won three of those encounters while Barcelona claimed one victory. One game finished level.
Barcelona slipped to a 2-1 home defeat in their last encounter 12 months ago after the Catalans won 3-2 on their last visit to Paris in April 2024.
PSG Extend Winning Run to Six
PSG return to the Parc des Princes after a hard-fought 3-1 Ligue 1 victory at Strasbourg on Saturday.
Giovanni Reyna put the hosts ahead and, having missed a first-half penalty, Illia Zabarnyi finally brought PSG level in the 77th minute.
Late goals from Dembele and Desire Doue completed an impressive comeback.
Luis Enrique's side deserved their victory in a closely fought contest. The Parisians dominated possession (73%) and recorded an xG of 2.61 compared to Strasbourg's 0.97.
The shot count was closer at 18-16, while Matvey Safonov made seven saves to keep PSG in contention before their late blitz.
Last weekend's win at Strasbourg extended PSG's winning run to six matches across all competitions. They scored 19 goals during that run but kept just one clean sheet.
The European champions have made an emphatic start to the defence of their UCL title. Enrique's men blasted six past Slovan (6-1) before a sensational 4-2 road win at Man City last week.
Barcelona Maintain Outstanding Form
Barcelona travel to Paris after another superb performance saw them secure a 5-2 victory at Real Betis on Saturday.
Lamine Yamal and Rodri scored before the interval, before second-half goals from Gabriel Jesus, Eric Garcia and Dani Olmo completed the impressive away win.
Match stats reflected Barcelona's attacking superiority. The visitors controlled possession (69%), outshot Betis 18-6 and recorded an xG of 3.05 compared to the hosts' 0.97.
The La Liga champions have been in blistering form this season. Hansi Flick's side have won their last 11 competitive fixtures, scoring 48 goals.
Barca scored 39 goals while winning their first nine La Liga games, adding another nine in their opening two Champions League fixtures.
The Catalans began their European campaign with a 5-1 home victory against Feyenoord before an excellent 4-1 win against Galatasaray in Istanbul.
While devastating in the forward areas, clean sheets remain largely elusive. Barcelona conceded at least one goal in their last seven matches.
Flick's men have scored at least three goals in each of their last four away matches, winning at Levante, Sevilla, Galatasaray and Betis.
PSG vs Barcelona Team News
PSG: (4-3-3) Matvey Safonov; Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Willian Pacho, Lucas Digne; Joao Neves, Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz; Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
PSG boss Enrique will be forced into a defensive changethis week. Nuno Mendes is set to miss out after picking up a thigh injury against Strasbourg. Lucas Digne or Lucas Hernandez will deputise.
Several first-team regulars are expected to return to PSG's starting lineup, with Achraf Hakimi, Willian Pacho, Marquinhos, Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz all in contention to feature.
Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue should also come back into the attack after scoring as substitutes at Strasbourg.
Speaking ahead of Barcelona’s visit, Enrique welcomed the chance to face another of the competition’s leading contenders:
“If we start thinking about the rest of the competition, the game will lose importance, but this kind of game is what the schedule has given us.
"If we look at what these two teams represent, they're two great clubs with a fantastic playing style, so we'll make the most of this match.
“This competition gives us the chance to play this kind of game (in the league phase). When we think about the rest of the competition, we're among the favourites, but there are several teams that can win."
Barcelona: (4-2-3-1) Joan Garcia; Joao Cancelo, Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin, Alejandro Balde; Rodri, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez, Anthony Gordon; Raphinha.
Barcelona boss Flick has two fresh injury concerns this week. Jules Kounde and Eric Garcia are expected to miss the trip to Paris after both picked up injuries against Betis.
Andreas Christensen and Roony Bardghji also remain sidelined.
In-form Brazilian forward Raphinha is expected to earn a recall after returning from injury as a substitute at Betis. The Brazilian has scored 14 goals in just nine appearances this season.