Victorious at the Parc des Princes (3-2), FC Barcelona is still haunted by its recent disappointing Champions League results and fears the offensive prowess of Paris Saint-Germain.
FC Barcelona is 90 minutes away from realizing a dream. Absent from the Champions League semifinals since 2019 and a devastating elimination against Liverpool, the Catalan club is on track to return to the competition’s final stages thanks to their victory at the Parc des Princes in the first leg of the quarter-finals. But to do so, they must avoid defeat against PSG at the Olympic Stadium in Montjuïc.
And the Blaugrana locker room has some concerns, especially due to the return of Achraf Hakimi, who was suspended in the first leg. “They have so many options and players that we don’t know which alternative they might use. We have a very clear structure in defense and attack, no matter who plays for PSG. It’s about players, ours were at a brilliant level,” explained Xavi Hernandez. “We have a chance to reach the semifinals after five seasons without doing so. You also see that there is a very big opportunity.” Xavi Hernández fears a nightmare evening Due to the recent setbacks in Europe, Xavi does not want to see his Barça overly confident, despite the fine victory in Paris. “Our recent results give us motivation to achieve a resounding success. We have this advantage, we are looking forward to it. It will be important to control emotions and temperament. An expulsion would affect us a lot. It will be very difficult, but we must show the team’s best face and personality. It will be one of the keys to success,” he added.
A sentiment shared by his midfielder, Pedri, who is very attentive to the Parisian attacking trio. It’s about having the ball. “When we have the ball, our priority is not to concede chances, as we did in Paris. Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, and Barcola are very good one-on-one players. They will try to turn the situation around, and it’s true that we have this advantage, but we have to go out and eat Paris,” he added. Nevertheless, FC Barcelona refuses to consider itself the favorite.
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