Barcelona v PSG – Preview, Predictions and Best Bets

The hosts have won just once in their last six matches vs PSG. The Parisians smashed Atalanta 4-0 on matchday one, whilst Blaugrana won 2-1 at Newcastle.

Barcelona Form

Blaugrana have won six of their last seven La Liga matches so far this season. They smashed Valencia 6-0 at home with 4.02 xG going into matchday one. A brace from Marcus Rashford sealed a 2-1 win at Newcastle as they put up 19 shots and had 64% possession.

Since then, they’ve beaten Getafe 3-0 with a 16-3 shot count and won 3-1 at Real Oviedo with 80% possession and a 22-7 advantage on shots. On Sunday, they came from a goal down to beat Real Sociedad 2-1 at home. Despite heavy rotation, they won the shot count 22-7 and put up 2.22 xG.

Barcelona Team News

Lamine Yamal has returned from injury and will start this match. Marc-Andre Ter Stagen is injured in goal whilst Fermin Lopez will play no part in midfield.

Alejandro Balde is back from injury but Gavi is unavailable. Coach Hansi Flick is also set to be without Raphinha, so Marcus Rashford could play down the left. Ronald Araujo and Eric Garcic are competing to start at centre back.

Barcelona Motivation

Hansi Flick’s side have been totally dominant in recent matches. They will try to play their usual game against PSG with high possession numbers.

A win will be targeted. At no point will this Barcelona team settle for a point.

PSG Form

PSG won the treble last season and lost in the FIFA Club World Cup final. This season began with another trophy as they beat Tottenham on penalties in the UEFA Super Cup after coming from 2-0 down. They won their first four Ligue 1 matches including a 6-3 win at Toulouse in Round Three.

Matchday one of the Champions League brought a 4-0 home win over Atalanta. PSG were totally dominant with 3.46 xG and 10 big chances created. A surprise 1-0 loss followed in Le Classique as they were beaten by Marseille. They bounced back to beat Auxerre 2-0 on Saturday.

PSG Team News

Coach Luis Enrique has some key injuries to navigate. Both Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué are both ruled out for a while longer and Marquinhos is a major doubt at the back.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is also ruled out, so the attack is significantly weakened. That could mean starts for Goncalo Ramos and Kang-in Lee in the front three.           

PSG Motivation

PSG will play to win this match, but would almost certainly take a draw. With some key players missing, a point is a good result in Spain.

An attacking, positive approach is the usual from Luis Enrique. He is not expected to play a more conservative game here.

Key Stats

• Barcelona have conceded 11 goals in their last 4 Champions League matches
• Barca have won 8 of their last 9 matches
• Barcelona have lost 3 of their last 6 matches vs PSG
• PSG have won 16 of their last 20 matches
• PSG’s Bradley Barcola has scored 4 goals in his last 6 matches

Verdict

A good match awaits. The injuries for PSG means that Barcelona are favoured for the win, despite their poor recent record vs PSG.

Best Bet: Barcelona win at 1.75

Value Bet: Barcelona win and both teams to score at 2.62

Anytime Goalscorer Tips: Yamal at 2.70 or Barcola at 3.20