Today, Tuesday, the "Camp Nou" will host a high-stakes match between Spanish club Barcelona and its runner-up Paris Saint-Germain from France, in the first leg of the Round of 16 of the Champions League.
Recently, both coaches Ronald Koeman and Mauricio Pochettino announced the official lineups for the anticipated match between the two teams. Argentine star Lionel Messi leads the Barcelona squad tonight alongside French duo Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembélé. Defender Gerard Piqué has returned to the starting lineup for Barcelona for the first time since last November. Meanwhile, superstar Kylian Mbappé will lead the attack for Paris Saint-Germain along with Argentine scorer Mauro Icardi.
Barcelona qualified for the Round of 16 after finishing second in Group 7 with 15 points, tied with Juventus, which topped the group on goal difference. In contrast, PSG advanced after finishing first in Group 8 during the group stage with 12 points, tied with German team RB Leipzig. The return match between Barcelona and Juventus will take place on Wednesday, March 10, at the "Parc des Princes," home of Paris Saint-Germain.
The Barcelona lineup is as follows:
- Goalkeeper: Ter Stegen
- Defense: Dest, Piqué, Lenglet, Alba
- Midfield: Busquets, de Jong, Pedri
- Attack: Messi, Griezmann, Dembélé
On the other hand, the Paris Saint-Germain lineup consists of:
- Goalkeeper: Navas
- Defense: Kurzawa, Marquinhos, Florenzi, Kimpembe
- Midfield: Verratti, Gueye, Paredes
- Attack: Moïse Kean, Mbappé, Icardi.
It is worth mentioning that Spanish club Barcelona had previously eliminated Paris Saint-Germain from the same stage during the 2016-2017 season, winning the return leg 6-1 after losing the first leg 4-0 in Paris.
