Barcelona vs PSG: Champions League Thriller Set to Ignite Football Fever

Barcelona-PSG matches spell pure drama. A different kind of thrill. The rivalry between the two sides in the Champions League always stirs excitement among football fans. Tonight will see another intense battle. Spanish champions Barcelona will host French champions PSG at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. On the pitch, neither side yields an inch. Thus, Barca and PSG are set to gift fans a breathtaking football spectacle. The clash kicks off at 1am today.

Who will have the last laugh after the battle—Barca or PSG? Football enthusiasts' curiosity knows no bounds on this score. The entire football world is abuzz with their great rivalry. Statistics, however, slightly favour the Catalans. So far, in 12 Champions League encounters, Barca have won five. PSG have triumphed in four. The remaining four have ended in draws.

Last season too, Barca and PSG faced off in the Champions League. In those two matches, honours were even in wins and losses. Meaning, PSG lost 3-2 to Barca at home in the first leg. But they avenged that defeat at Barcelona's ground later. PSG won 4-1.

Barcelona are in terrific form this season. Coach Hansi Flick's wards head into the PSG showdown riding a high from five straight wins across all competitions. In between, the Catalan giants beat Newcastle 2-1 in their opening group stage match of the Champions League.

PSG are also enjoying a great run on the pitch. After six consecutive wins across all competitions this season, they suffered a defeat at Olympique Marseille's ground on 23 September. But the Paris club returned to the winning track with a Ligue 1 match. They beat Auxerre 2-0 at their home Parc des Princes.

This match marks a reunion with old club Barcelona for coach Luis Enrique. A decade ago, under this Spanish coach, Barca crowned themselves kings of European football. Now Enrique is PSG's coach. So, his touchline duel with coach Hansi Flick will also be a riveting affair.

Lamine Yamal was absent in their opening Champions League match. But Barca faced no issues at St James' Park. Against Newcastle, English striker Marcus Rashford filled the void. On loan from Manchester United, this English star forward's brace secured victory for Barca. However, Yamal, back from injury, will feature in tonight's match. And PSG's jersey will don Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele too. Dembele pipped Yamal to the Ballon d'Or podium. Now, who will have the last laugh on the pitch—that's what remains to be seen.

Matchups
- Borussia Dortmund-Athletic Bilbao
- Barcelona-PSG
- Monaco-Manchester City
- Arsenal-Olympiacos Piraeus
- Napoli-Sporting CP
- Bayer Leverkusen-PSV Eindhoven
- Villarreal-Juventus