Barcelona moved a step closer to recording their seventh European semifinal in the last eight seasons with a commanding two-goal win over Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their quarterfinal tie on Wednesday. They will look to preserve that advantage when the two sides meet once again this coming Tuesday, this time in front of Barcelona’s own home support at the Camp Nou.
Read on for a complete preview of this pivotal second-leg tie and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the Champions League second-leg showdown between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.
[sc:Soccer240banner ]For Paris-Saint Germain to have a chance of advancing into the next round, they will need to score at least three goals at the Nou Camp this coming Tuesday. This is because of the three away goals scored by Barcelona at Parc des Princes in the first leg on Wednesday. Anything less and the French champions will be booted out of this year’s tournament.
A 3-1 scoreline in PSG’s favor will result in extra time. In case the score remains the same after 30 minutes, the match will head into penalties where the winning team will advance into the semifinals of the Champions League.
Barcelona, on the other hand, will advance either by a win, a draw or a one-goal defeat. Even a 2-0 loss will be enough for the Catalans by virtue of the away goals rule.
Betting on Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain’s European dreams were left in tatters as they were embarrassed 3-1 by Barcelona in the first leg of their quarterfinal showdown on Wednesday. The French champions were brushed aside by a Barcelona side that has now scored 21 goals in Europe, third-best in the Champions League this season.
PSG struggled without star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic who was suspended after picking up a red card in their second-leg win over Chelsea last month. PSG mustered just eight shot attempts against Barcelona with four of those coming on target. They had difficulty finding some rhythm on the offensive end as they only had 34% of the possession against Barcelona.
Much of the blame for PSG’s horrible performance should go to its atrocious defense. The French outfit was left in shambles when center-back Thiago Silva departed the game after suffering a thigh injury. David Luiz replaced the Brazilian star but the £50-million signing looked out of sorts as he was targeted repeatedly by Luis Suarez and company.
There’s still some hope left, though, for Laurent Blanc’s men as they grabbed a late score via a Jeremy Mathieu own goal. The odds are still stacked against PSG, though, as they need to score three goals at the Nou Camp for them to advance to the next stage.
The good news for PSG is that Ibrahimovic will be available for that second-leg tie. He has been on fire, recently, scoring 13 goals in his last seven matches. He will have a battle in his hands, though, against a Barcelona side that has allowed just two goals at the Nou Camp in the Champions League this season.
Luis Suarez and Barcelona are surely turning out to be a match made in heaven.
The Catalans’ prized recruit once again delivered on the big stage, scoring twice in Barcelona’s 3-1 demolition of Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday. It was a spectacular performance from the Uruguayan who has now scored 18 goals in all competitions for the four-time European champions.
Suarez showed his flair for the dramatic in the second half as he nutmegged David Luiz twice en route to a fantastic double. His second goal was a thing of beauty as he curled in a finish into the top corner that more or less sealed PSG’s fate in this tie.
After struggling to find his feet at the start of the season, Suarez has rediscovered his form, scoring 13 goals in his last 15 matches. He has proven to be a lethal weapon for Barcelona especially in European away matches, scoring four goals in the Catalans’ two trips to the Etihad Stadium and Parc des Princes.
For all the attacking talents that Barcelona have at their disposal, the one player that they have been missing all this time was a striker that was a classic no. 9. Suarez provides another outlet for Barcelona in the sense that he goes into the channel, tries to beat the offside trap and has the option of holding the ball at times for the Catalans’ offense to set up.
His presence has helped provided space for Messi and Neymar to wreak havoc on the offensive end. They have scored a combined 73 goals this season for Barcelona and they were simply irresistible in the first-leg clash against PSG.
The duo combined for the opening goal with Neymar slotting in a cool finish from Messi’s exquisite pass. Neymar has now scored in all three of Barcelona’s Champions League games against PSG this season. Messi has also now assisted 12 of Neymar’s goals this season, proof that their understanding on the pitch is a whole lot better now.
For the Catalans to all but guarantee their entry into the semifinals, they will need to control the possession game once again in the second leg. They were absolutely brilliant in maintaining possession in the first leg, holding the ball for almost two-thirds of the entire match against PSG.
