If there is any competition where the shield and history still play and, on occasions, can win games, that is the Champions League. There, Barcelona, ??with five titles, is still one step ahead of PSG, which is only seeking its fourth semi-final in the top continental competition, a tournament in which it has not been crowned. Despite the fact that it is a young dressing room, crossing – eliminated the Blaugrana, then led by Koeman and with Messi on the pitch.

This group of special forces is made up of Gündogan, Cancelo, Lewandowski, Ter Stegen and Sergi Roberto, the hero of the 6-1 in 2017 and whom just mentioning gives Parisian fans hives. All five are aiming for starters tomorrow in the first leg. They are the experts, the experts who already know what it means to win and eliminate the Parisian team.

Obviously for Lamine Yamal, Cubarsí and Fermín it will be the first time they step into these instances in the Champions League. They have never faced PSG either. But it is not only the homegrown players who are in their first year in the elite who have not yet seen themselves in this situation. It will also be the first time for Araújo that he will have Mbappé in front of him since in 2021 – when the French star scored four of the five goals – the Uruguayan was injured in his left ankle. While Raphinha also did not have the opportunity to cross paths with PSG in the season in which he played for Rennes since he arrived with Ligue 1 started and that season (19-20) the championship did not end due to the covid.

João Cancelo is the one with the most recent duels with PSG since the Portuguese was the executioner of the French champion last season in the round of 16 when he defended the colors of Bayern. The side won both games. In the first he was a starter and in the second he was a substitute. In fact, Cancelo has won four of his five meetings against PSG.

Ilkay Gündogan can boast of having 100% success in his private face-to-face. The German counts his three matches as victories, all in the City shirt, three games in which he always played the full 90 minutes. Xavi wants him to be able to play forward at the Parc des Princes.

For this, the presence of a second pivot is key, whether it is De Jong or Sergi Roberto. The captain has gained a lot of importance in recent weeks, after his great half hour against Napoli. The one from Reus has won two of his three clashes with the Parisians, although he will always be remembered in the Seine and the Llobregat for the goal he scored on March 8, 2017, the 6-1 that made possible the craziest comeback in the Champions.

There and in 2015 there was also Ter Stegen, who has four wins and one draw in eight direct confrontations. Of course, he was only able to keep a clean sheet in just one. The German goalkeeper has a lot to do with the peace of mind that Barça has gained in the last two months, after his reappearance.

Another who they surely have very close control in Paris is Lewandowski. The Pole met PSG in 2010 before the arrival of Qatar. He faced them in the old UEFA when he started at Borussia Dortmund. He has won the last two duels (out of 5), with a goal but above all the last victory weighs heavily in the memory since it was in the 2020 Champions League final. Lewandowski left PSG without his dream in Lisbon, one of those days that affect morale, for better and worse.