Guess who’s here? Yes, this is also the Ronaldinho derby, with the former Brazil trickster having had stints at both clubs. He’s obviously more known for his time in Spain but was playing his club football in France when he won the World Cup in 2002. His one trophy at PSG? The Intertoto Cup.
If you fancy a quick catch-up on what happened last night in the Champions League, get your ears around this.
Born a year after Barcelona’s Champions League final victory over Arsenal in Paris. Mad.
16 - FCBarcelona´s @Lamine27Yamal 🇪🇸 is the youngest player to appear in a quarter-final #ChampionsLeague game (16y and 272d), surpassing the previous record of Rayan Cherki in 2020 with Lyon (17y and 2d in the semi-finals vs. Bayern). Nerve. pic.twitter.com/lmUBxGAeUI
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) April 10, 2024
Here’s the full set-up for both sides.
PSG: Donnarumma, Marquinhos, Hernández, Lucas Beraldo, Mendes, Lee, Vitinha, Ruiz, Dembélé, Asensio, K. Mbappé
Subs: Navas, Ugarte, Ramos, Danilo, Kolo Muani, Soler, Barcola, Zaïre-Emery, Skriniar, Mayulu, Zague, Tenas
Barcelona: Ter Stegen, Koundé, Araújo, Cubarsí, Cancelo, Roberto, De Jong, Gündogan, Yamal, Lewandowski, Raphinha
Subs: Martínez, Torres, Pedri, Peña, Félix, Christensen, López, Alonso, Romeu, Roque, Astralaga, Fort
The starting XI 🆚 FC Barcelona 👊🏻#PSGFCB I @EASPORTSFC
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) April 10, 2024
pic.twitter.com/daWbBgJ8GD
🚨 BARÇA XI 🚨#PSGBarça | #UCL pic.twitter.com/6eByTugSKQ
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 10, 2024
Here’s the aforementioned madness:
Hello, hello, hello and welcome to coverage of Barcelona’s trip to Paris. Yes, it’s another battle between the two sides who had that unforgettable tie seven years ago – you know the one: Barça got done 4-0 away from home and then, somehow, turned it around with a staggering Neymar-inspired 6-1 win at Camp Nou. Not long after that, PSG decided to splurge an obscene amount of money on the Brazilian forward.
The two sides have met since in the Champions League, with PSG winning their last-16 tie three years ago 5-2, Kylian Mbappé scoring a hat-trick in the first leg. As ever, he’s the man to watch, this his final go at winning the trophy for PSG before he sets off in the summer.
I’ll be here to see you through the action. Send me your thoughts, queries, predictions, concerns, dreams, song requests, whatever feels right to you. Kick-off’s at 8pm BST.