Barcelona will have Lionel Messi in his best form this season as the team resumes its campaign in Europe's top club competition. The Argentine great has scored nine goals in his last nine matches in all competitions, including a brace in the 5-1 rout of Alavés on Saturday.
It remains unclear if coach Ronald Koeman will have Gerard Piqué or Ronald Araújo back from injuries to boost the team’s defense.
PSG also has injury concerns. Both Neymar and Angel Di Maria are out, putting pressure on Kylian Mbappe to carry the attack. Mbappe scored twice in the 5-1 win against Istanbul Basaksehir back in December — when the Turkish side had nothing but pride to play for — but more telling is that Mbappe had not scored in the nine previous Champions League games dating back to November 2019.
Without his two main creators, Mbappe will be heavily reliant on Marco Verratti pushing up as a makeshift playmaker. That makes Barcelona’s task straightforward in shutting him down. That's if Verratti even starts, because he is nursing a bruised hip.
Verratti available
Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti has recovered from a hip injury and will be available for Tuesday's Champions League match at Barcelona.
Verratti missed PSG's last two matches but has been included in coach Mauricio Pochettino's squad for the last 16 match in Spain.
Verratti's return will boost PSG's chances in the absence of Neymar and Angel Di Maria, who have been ruled out with injuries.