Barcelona is on course to qualify for the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions league after they beat a weakened Paris Saint-Germain side 3-1 in their first leg at the Parc Des Princes in France.
The Catalan side holds a first-leg advantage with the three goals which were scored away putting PSG’s hopes of qualifying in great danger.
Luis Suarez scored two goals while Neymar scored the other for the Catalan side in the first-leg and they will be instrumental in tonight’s game if Barcelona is to qualify for the Semi-finals of the Champions League.
Lionel Messi will also have to play an important role for the Camp Nou Team after he has struck up a good understanding with Luis Suarez and Neymar.
Barcelona continued with their good run in La Liga after they beat Valencia 2-0 on Saturday the game in which Lionel Messi scored his 400th goal for the club.
Barcelona will welcome back Dani Alves from suspension and Andres Iniesta from injury which will boost Luis Enriques side tonight.
PSG will welcome back Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marco Verratti who missed the first leg through suspensions and the pair will boost their chances of getting a result against Barcelona.
Edison Cavani was very wasteful in front of goal in the first leg and Ibrahimovic’s return will create more threat to the Barceloan defence whereas Verratti’s return in midfield will give the Team more balance which was missed in their 3-1 loss in France.
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique was quick to point out the threat Ibrahimovic possesses against team but backed his side to progress through.
“Ibrahimovic is capable of having a shot on goal at any time – he’s one of the best strikers in the world,” Enrique said, “We know him very well and he represents an extra source of motivation for us. We might change our plan a bit, but not because of Ibra or Verratti. We sometimes change it to create more problems for the opposition, not because of individual players.”
PSG mananger Laurent Blanc believes Ibrahimovic will be able to help his Team against Barcelona tonight.
“Ibrahimovic doesn’t doubt himself on the pitch, he is very sure of himself. We have nothing to lose tomorrow and he likes that kind of match. We might be able to prove that we weren’t at the right level for the first leg.
“It’s important to have good strikers in a team and we didn’t have Ibrahimovic in the first leg.”
PSG must score at least three goals and win by at least a two-goal margin against Barcelona to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Barcelona Predicted Starting XI (4-3-3)- Ter Stegen; Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta; Suarez, Messi, Neymar
PSG Predicted Starting Lineup (4-3-3): Sirigu; Van der Wiel, Marquinhos, Luiz, Maxwell; Rabiot, Verratti, Matuidi; Cavani, Pastore, Ibrahimovic
Meanwhile Bayern Munich aim to overturn a 3-1 deficit to reach the semi-finals of the Champios League at the expense of FC Porto.
German giants Bayern Munich were stunned 3-1 by FC Porto leading to the resignation of Bayern’s team doctor, Hans-Wilhelm Mueller-Wohlfahrt who had spent nearly to four decades at the Club.
Pep Guardiola pinned the defeat on Hans-Wilhelm and his staff for the Porto defeat with the Team missing key players. Arjen Robben, David Alaba, Javi Martinez, Medhi Benatia and Franck Ribery will still miss out the game while Bastian Schweinsteiger is the only player expected to return after missing the first leg.
Jackson Martinez Porto’s top scorer and team captain stressed how his Team will play an attacking game in Munich,he said, “We’d be making a mistake if we went there to defend for 90 minutes. We’d never be able to do it,”
He continued, “We know it’s going to be hard and we’re going to suffer just like we did at home. But I think we have the right players for counter-attacks and we can deliver a good game.”
Bayern Munich forward Thomas Muller has advised how his side should play ahead of tonight’s UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg against Porto.
“It’s important we don’t get too wound up about the match,” he told Bayern’s website on Monday.
“Everyone just piling forward would be suicide.”
Muller added: “We’ll throw everything we’ve got at it.
“A 2-0 home win for FC Bayern wouldn’t be a footballing wonder of the world, but we have to earn the result in the first place.”
Bayern Possible lineup (4-3-3): Neuer-Rafinha-Boateng-Badstuber-Bernat-Lahm-Rode-Thiago-Gotze-Muller-Lewandowski
Porto predicted starting XI (4-5-1): Fabiano-Ricardo-Maicon-Marcano-Martins Indi-Casemiro-Herrera-Torres-Quaresma-Brahimi-Martinez
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