Having won their last game against Las Palmas in La Liga, FC Barcelona are now set to step on the pitch for the crucial UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie against Paris Saint Germain.
PSG is one of the most dangerous teams in Europe, and Barcelona will have to be at their best to beat the Parisians and get one step more advanced into the premier European tournament. Xavi will have to think hard about which of the players he will be fielding for this match, especially as he is missing some key starters.
However, one area of the team where he can rest assured about his team’s strength is that of the right-wing. As SPORT has noted, Lamine Yamal faced off with the defender who is expected to start for PSG against him in this match, Lucas Beraldo, in his recent international appearance for Spain against Brazil, and he definitely came out on top in this encounter.
Yamal had a memorable performance on that night, one which showed the world just what he could do at only 16 years of age, and Beraldo had to pay the price as he was unable to contain the tricky winger.
The Brazilian defender had landed in Paris last winter and cost the Parisians €20 million. The French side considers him to be good enough to become the next Marquinhos for them, and he has been getting significant game time. This is mostly because of the injuries suffered by other defenders in the team, including Marquinhos.
There is no doubt that Beraldo is an elegant defender, but he lacks the forcefulness that can be decisive in defensive actions, and Yamal took full advantage of this weakness in the last encounter between these two players.
The defender was also far from his best as he got a red card in the Olympique Marseille-PSG match last Sunday.
Luis Enrique is known for sticking to his decisions and thus may decide to keep him in the starting lineup for the match against Barcelona, but Marquinhos has already been training with the team, and his return can change things for the former Barcelona coach.
