The grandest of challenges now awaits FC Barcelona as they stay alive in the Champions League. La Blaugrana first hoped to get through the group stage, but now even the Round of 16 has been overcome. Thus, Barcelona now set their sights even higher towards the semi-finals.
To do that, they must first overcome the massive hurdle that is Paris Saint-Germain. The French outfit is their chosen rival for the UCL quarterfinals, and it will be a decisive tie for La Blaugrana. For Barcelona, both the first leg at Parc des Princes and the second leg at the Montjuic Stadium will thus be key.
Fortunately for the Catalan giants, as strong as PSG may be, Barcelona will have one positive to look forward to. Whereas against Napoli they had to make do with alternative options given their injury problems, they will have a better squad to take to Paris and then also have defend the Barcelona badge in the second leg.
As per SPORT, several of the sidelined Barcelona players will be aiming to return for the PSG clash. The most exciting names are understandably the two midfielders who were injured against Athletic Club, and their potential reemergence is creating some genuine positivity for Barcelona.
Frenkie De Jong, in particular, already seems like a guarantee for the PSG clash. The Dutch Barcelona star is expected to be fully available for the first leg of the contest, and then also be present for the second leg at home. His ankle sprain was a light injury, and he should potentially get some minutes against Las Palmas as well before the PSG clash.
Pedri is another case that ignites some hope for Barcelona. His initial muscular injury seemed to be serious, but later tests revealed it is actually not as severe a predicament as was originally suspected. While he is believed to be a possible return for Barcelona in the second leg, even his availability in the first leg is not fully ruled out just yet.
Two other returning players would be Pedri’s Spanish compatriots Ferran Torres and Marcos Alonso. Both are practically already quite close to returning it seems, so their participation for the PSG clash is also all but guaranteed at this point in time.
Unfortunately, Gavi and Alejandro Balde are still quite some time away from returning. The young pearls of Barcelona have bigger injuries to overcome, but their goals are already set primarily with the upcoming season in mind. For now, their support will have to come from the stands.
