Morbidity is going to preside over the duel between two clubs that have faced each other since the 6-1 comeback, Neymar’s escape, and Messi’s two years in Paris. A nouveau riche and one who does not have much money left in the till. Perhaps the club-state par excellence, PSG is owned by Qatar, and an entity so traditional that it remains its members. Luis Enrique returns, a legend of the club and as a coach he left a great flavor. Ousmane Dembélé will also be reunited with his former team for the last six seasons. And perhaps it will be the first big favor that Kylian Mbappé can do for Madrid.
Paris Saint-Germain is the only second in the group that is in the quarterfinals. It is true that they suffered in a league against Milan, Newcastle and Borussia Dortmund. But Barça knows from its own experience that when Lucho’s teams get going they don’t stop. Now they have gone 23 games without losing, since November 7.
The Parisians dominate Ligue 1 as they want. They are leaders with 10 points ahead of Brest and 11 over Monaco and can win their tenth domestic league in the last 12 seasons. But their great goal since Qatar landed is the Champions League, where they have never managed to win the crown.
Almost seven years have passed since the Asturian left. May 27, 2017 was the last time Lucho sat on the Barcelona bench. It was in a Copa del Rey final against Alavés that his team won 3-1.
Of the current players on Xavi’s squad, only Ter Stegen and Sergi Roberto, the hero of the comeback when he scored 6-1, remain, who were under the orders of Luis Enrique, in addition to the Terrassa coach himself, who said goodbye after the 2015 Berlin triplet.
Mbappé, who is expected to experience the classics in the white shirt starting next season, will be the big threat. In the round of 16 tie in 2021, the last meeting between the two, the French star scored four of the Parisians’ five goals: three at the Camp Nou and one, from a penalty, in the second leg at the Parc des Princes. Barça has only won there in 2015 with a double from Suárez and a goal from Neymar (1-3).
The forward’s speed and power will be a high test for Cubarsí and Araújo. Mbappé, who surely wants to say goodbye in style after announcing that he will not renew his contract that ends in June, can also get the Madrid fans to forgive him for his first sit-in if he removes Barça from Europe. The forward has 35 goals (three of them against Real Sociedad in the round of 16) in 36 games this season.
Up to nine players repeated as starters in the double match against Real Sociedad in the round of 16: goalkeeper Donnarumma, defenders Achraf and Beraldo (signed in this winter market), midfielders Fabián Ruiz, Vitinha and Zaïre-Emery and the three forwards, Barcola, Dembélé and Mbappé.
Dembélé and Luis Enrique are not the only ones who will return as Arnau Tenas signed for free after being released last summer. Other old acquaintances are Carlos Soler and ex-Madridistas Marco Asensio and Keylor Navas.
PSG spent more than 300 million on the market with Kolo Muani, Gonçalo Ramos, Ugarte, Lucas Hernández, Kang-In Lee, Dembélé, Barcola and Ekitike. But the sensation is the young Zaïre-Emery, 18 years old, a youth player who Luis Enrique has given the baton in the midfield.
