Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain will aim to continue the flawless start to the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League when they meet at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Wednesday.

The curtains will fall on Matchday 2 of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League on Wednesday. The action will start with two early fixtures before ending with seven simultaneous games, including Barcelona vs PSG at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.

Barcelona kicked things off in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League by clinching a narrow 2-1 win over Newcastle United at St. James Park, with Marcus Rashford scoring a match-winning brace. The Catalan giants have been exceptional thus far in the new season, as they are yet to lose a game and returned to the summit of La Liga by beating Real Sociedad 2-1 this past weekend.

On the other hand, Paris Saint-Germain cruised to a 4-0 win over Atalanta on Matchday of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League. However, Luis Enrique’s men have blown hot and cold since then, losing 1-0 to Marseille before beating AJ Auxerre 2-0 this past weekend.

Barcelona and PSG have enjoyed an excellent rivalry despite facing off only a few handful times. The most recent tie was a goal fest that ended in a 4-6 win on aggregate for Les Parisiens in the 2023/24 quarter-finals. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.

Team News & Tactics

Barcelona

Hansi Flick has no new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Barcelona manager will be bereft of the services of only five first-team players vs PSG on Wednesday.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen (back), Joan Garcia (knee), Gavi (knee), Fermin Lopez (back), and Raphinha (hamstring) remain on the sidelines. Alejandro Balde will hope to return to action in the midweek Champions League clash after regaining fitness.

Wojciech Szczesny will deputise for Garcia between the sticks, with Barcelona lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs PSG on Wednesday. The backline will feature Jules Kounde, Eric Garcia, Pau Cubarsi, and Gerard Martin.

As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Pedri and Frenkie de Jong in the double pivot in the middle of the park. Dani Olmo will reprise the no. 10 role, with Lamine Yamal and Marcus Rashford being the two wide attackers. Finally, Robert Lewandowski will lead the line for Barcelona against PSG on Wednesday.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Szczesny; Kounde, Eric Garcia, Cubarsi, Martin; Pedri, de Jong; Yamal, Olmo, Rashford; Lewandowski

PSG

Unlike his counterpart in the Barcelona dugout, Luis Enrique has new fitness issues to worry about ahead of the trip to Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. The Paris Saint-Germain manager may be without as many as seven first-team players on Wednesday.

Marquinhos (thigh), Joao Neves (hamstring), Fabian Ruiz (muscle), Desire Doue (calf), and Ousmane Dembele (hamstring) remain in the treatment room. Additionally, Enrique is sweating over the fitness of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Vitinha, with the duo facing late fitness tests to determine their availability.

Lucas Chevalier is an automatic pick between the sticks, with PSG lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him vs Barcelona on Wednesday. The backline will feature Achraf Hakimi, Illia Zabarnyi, Willian Pacho, and Nuno Mendes.

As for the midfield unit, Vitinha may be fit enough to start against Barcelona, and the Portuguese international will line up alongside Lee Kang-in and Warren Zaire-Emery in the middle of the park. Finally, Goncalo Ramos will spearhead the PSG attack against Barcelona, with Bradley Barcola and Ibrahima Mbaye completing the numbers in the offensive third.

Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Chevalier; Hakimi, Zabarnyi, Pacho, Mendes; Lee, Vitinha, Zaire-Emery; Mbaye, Ramos, Barcola

Key Stats

• Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain will meet for the 16th time in European competition, with the two sides separated by just one victory across the previous 15 (six Barcelona wins and five for PSG, along with four draws). Since winning three consecutive UEFA Champions League games against PSG in the 2014/15 season – all of which were under Luis Enrique – the Catalan giants have only won two of their last six meetings with the French club in the competition (D1 L3).
• SG have won their last two games away vs Barcelona, both by 4-1 scorelines in the UEFA Champions League (February 2021 and April 2024). If they win on Wednesday, the UEFA Champions League holders will be the first team to win three consecutive away games against Barcelona in a major European competition.
• Barcelona have only lost one of their last 12 home matches in the UEFA Champions League (W9 D2), although that lone defeat came against PSG (1-4 in April 2024). That was the only occasion across the 12 games where Barcelona failed to score at least two goals.
• PSG have won their four most recent UEFA Champions League games by a combined scoreline of 12-1 and the last two by 9-0 combined (5-0 vs Inter Milan and 4-0 vs Atalanta). Only one team has ever won three consecutive games in the UEFA Champions League by four or more goals, with that instance also being by PSG (between October and November 2017).
• Since the start of last season, PSG have averaged more completed dribbles per game than any team that has been involved in the two most recent UEFA Champions League campaigns (11.9). Nuno Mendes has the joint-most for Les Parisiens in this period (30 – level with Bradley Barcola); the Portuguese international made the most in PSG’s Matchday 1 over Atalanta (5).

Player to Watch

Robert Lewandowski

While Marcus Rashford, Bradley Barcola, and Goncalo Ramos were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Robert Lewandowski as the Player to Watch for Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League clash between Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.

The Barcelona striker has only scored one goal in five UEFA Champions League appearances vs PSG, with that lone strike coming in December 2017 (for Bayern Munich). His minutes-per-goal ratio against the French club (450) is his worst against any opponent in the competition. With the Pole making his mark since returning from an injury-enforced layoff, he will aim to correct the dreadful record against PSG.

Prediction

Barcelona 2-1 PSG

Wednesday’s match features two heavyweight teams that are battling several injuries and missing many pivotal figures. However, while the game will miss many big-name players like Raphinha, Ousmane Dembele, and Joao Neves, it will not be short on quality.

It will not be surprising to see the game go down to the wire, but the home side should have enough quality to eke out a narrow victory. Marcus Rashford should make his mark in the UEFA Champions League again, delivering the goods in the final third to earn his side three points. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Hansi Flick and his charges.