In the event of qualification, the Parisian club would face the winner of the match between Atlético de Madrid and Borussia Dortmund in the semi-final, after the draw on Friday.
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After enjoying a rather lenient display in the round of 16 against Real Sociedad, PSG will return to Spain. The draw, carried out this Friday March 15 in Nyon (Switzerland), offered a strange memory to the Parisian club, with a quarter-final against FC Barcelona. The two clubs had already faced each other in the round of 16 in 2021, for a Parisian qualification, after the trauma of the “comeback” of 2017, and the 6-1 elimination in Catalonia.
This is the sixth time that the two clubs have faced each other in the knockout stages of the Champions League. The first leg will take place on April 9 or 10 at the Parc des Princes, then the return match at the Nou Camp on April 16 or 17.
A rather open table
In the event of qualification, Paris would face the winner of the confrontation between Atlético de Madrid and Borussia Dortmund in the semi-final, a lesser evil considering the rest of the field, especially since the Parisians would receive this time in the return match . The draw offered two shocks: Arsenal-Bayern Munich, but above all an “early final” between defending champion Manchester City and Real Madrid.
PSG can consider themselves relatively happy, against an opponent they know best on the old Continent. Barca qualified for the quarter-finals for the first time since 2020, and are struggling to impress collectively this season. Third in the Spanish championship, nine points behind Real Madrid, the Blaugrana suffer in particular from several absences of weight, with the announced withdrawals of Gavi and Baldé, and the injuries, for several more weeks, of midfielders Pedri and Frenkie de Jong.
A meeting in more than one way for Kylian Mbappé
This confrontation is the promise of an open show, and several little stories. PSG coach Luis Enrique will return to the club in which he spent most of his career in football, as a player (1996-2004) then as a coach, from the Barcelona reserve to launch his career, then from he Catalan team between 2014 and 2017, notably for the famous round of 16 of the “remontada” against Paris.
It will also be an opportunity for Kylian Mbappé, insistently announced at Real Madrid next season, to score new points in the eyes of his possible future supporters against the sworn enemy of Merengue. The French international has fond memories of Camp Nou, where he scored a hat-trick in the round of 16 first leg in 2021.
Quarter-final posters
Arsenal – Bayern Munich
Atlético Madrid – Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid – Manchester City
Paris Saint-Germain – FC Barcelona
Semi-final posters
Atlético de Madrid or Borussia Dortmund – Paris Saint-Germain or FC Barcelona
Arsenal or Bayern Munich – Real Madrid or Manchester City