April 10 – Barcelona and Paris Saint Germain are poised for a Remontada rematch in tonight’s UEFA Champions League quarter final.
Barca enter the tie in fine form, going unbeaten in 11 games since Xavi announced his intention to leave the club at the end of the current season.
PSG continue to try to operate without Kylian Mbappe in preparation for his departure in the summer, but you would expect Luis Enrique to utilise his best asset in the upcoming match.
“After four years without being in the quarter-finals, the word is excitement. We are looking forward to a great tie and being in the semi-finals,” said Barca boss Xavi Hernández ahead of the first leg in the Parc des Princes stadium.
“We are really motivated seeing how the players are training and competing,” continued Xavi before admitting that his team were up against one of the favourites. “PSG have a team made to win the Champions League and they have one of the best coaches in the world, Luis Enrique.
“I have a great relationship with [Enrique] and all the respect in the world. We are both looking for the same thing.”
“I think PSG are favourites because they took one of our best players,” said the Barça coach referring to Ousmane Dembélé whom he tried to convince to stay at Barça last summer. “They have Mbappé, Dembélé, Kolo Muani, Vitinha. We have to avoid their counter attacks, being aware and at our very best defensively.”
PSG manager Luis Enrique, who was at Barcelona’s helm for their last UCL title nine years ago, said: “I think we’re in a good situation this season, with a very good collective spirit, and this tie comes at a time when we’re feeling good. There’s no away goals rule, so I’m really looking forward to playing this game at home, I know there’ll be an extraordinary atmosphere. But the order of the games doesn’t really matter to us; our sole aim is to win.”
Last season, PSG were knocked out in the Round of 16 by Bayern Munich. Already topping their previous result, the Parisiens eye a place in the semi-finals for just the fourth time in the club’s history.
“I hope the ambition will be bigger than the pressure,” continued Enrique, “We’re happy to play at this level, and we want to qualify for the semi-finals. In the group phase, I saw a lot of good things, others not so good. But today we are very ambitious for tomorrow’s game, and we want to play to win and qualify.”
Also tonight, Borussia Dortmund will travel to Atletico Madrid.
As the two lowest-ranked teams left in the competition, this quarter final presents both teams with an excellent and rare opportunity to progress into the last four of the tournament.
Dortmund have endured a mixed season. With their decade-long quest to dethrone Bayern Munich usurped by Xabi Alonso’s invincible Bayer Leverkusen, BVB sit fourth in the Bundesliga after failing to find consistency across the league season.
They escaped the ‘group of death’ alongside PSG earlier in the season and nudged past Eredivisie leaders PSV in the Round of 16, showing their best form in European matches.
Meanwhile, Atletico impressed versus high-flying Inter Milan in the Round of 16, further bolstering their reputation as giant killers.
The debate is whether Atleti will look to capitalise on their home advantage by going for goals, rather than their signature defensive football and play the long game.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1732330972labto1732330972ofdlr1732330972owedi1732330972sni@g1732330972niwe.1732330972yrrah1732330972