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The annual UCL clash of the year is set as back-to-back Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain host Barcelona in a league-stage showdown Tuesday.
As expected, these two teams sit atop the UEFA standings at 2-0, with PSG’s 10 goals leading the way and Barca’s nine tied for second-best with Ashton Villa.
Both teams are masters of scoring, with PSG averaging three goals per game in their last six wins and Barca scoring 48 goals in 11 games.
PSG vs. Barcelona prediction, best bets
PSG enters Matchday 3 in rejuvenated form and ready to defend home turf at the Parc des Princes.
The French club stumbled out of the gate and is 2-2-1 in Ligue 1, but has turned things up a notch in the league phase.
Luis Enrique’s squad opened their UCL campaign with a 6-1 win over Slovan Bratislava, then impressively beat Erling Haaland and Man City 4-2 at the Etihad Stadium last week.
Reigning Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé, Spain’s World Cup hero Ferran Torres, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Achraf Hakimi and young star Désiré Doué lead the way.
On the other side of the field, Barça’s well-oiled machine recently beat Real Betis 5-2 to reach 11 straight wins.
Blaugrana also rallied after falling behind early to beat Galatasaray 4-1 in Turkey last Tuesday, and they made quick work of Feyenoord on UCL Matchday 1.
PSG will do everything it can to keep Hansi Flick’s squad from dominating possession because there is really no other way to keep Barca’s elaborate attack at bay.
An underlying rivalry also stems from offseason trash talk between Dembélé and Lamine Yamal over who should’ve been named Ballon d’Or last year.
Dembélé has backed his name, netting three goals and providing three assists in two UCL games. Yamal enters with one goal and four assists across two UCL fixtures.
Factor in that PSG manager Enrique played 207 games for Barca over more than eight years, rejoined as coach for another three years and led the Spain national team at the 2022 World Cup before stepping down, and this becomes appointment viewing.
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Barcelona’s offseason transfer, defensive-minded Rodri, was added to the roster for moments like this, and how well he controls the midfield to give the ultra-talented front three of Yamal, Fermin Lopez and Raphinha space to operate will be key.
Riding an 11-game winning streak to start the campaign, Flick’s squad should bring their best to this early-season clash and finally get over the proverbial hump.
The Play: Same Game Parlay (+208, DraftKings): Lamine Yamal to record 1+ score or assist (-160) + Barcelona moneyline (+145)
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