UCL: Five interesting factors going into PSG vs Barcelona
From Unai Emery's bad run against Barcelona to the Suarez vs Cavani battle of the Uruguayans...
Barcelona and PSG have played each other so frequently in the Champions League it seems there is a growing rivalry.
The Dream Team's defeat
It was 1995 and the French side had numerous stars, including George Weah, who caused great fear in the Camp Nou every time he crossed the half-way line.
In the second leg Luis Fernandez's PSG won 2-1 thanks to goals from Rai and Guerin, while Bakero scored for Barcelona.
Barcelona's dominance
Six duels against PSG in the last five seasons have led to clear Barcelona dominance. In 2012-13 when Tito Vilanova was in charge Barcelona drew 2-2 in Paris and 1-1 in Barcelona, leading to the Catalans progressing from the quarter-finals.
In 2014-15 they crossed paths in the group, PSG winning 3-2 at home, before Barcelona won 3-1 at Camp Nou. Then they matched up in the quarters again, with Barcelona winning 3-1 in Paris and 2-0 at home. The sensation is that PSG have not worked out how to stop Barcelona, above all their forwards.
Emery's bad run
Unai Emery needed 21 games to beat Barcelona. After 6 draws and 14 defeats he managed to do it with Sevilla in 2015. He suffered with Almeria, Valencia, Spartak Moscow and then Sevilla. Now he is at PSG, the biggest side he has coached in terms of quality. He must now find an answer with them.
Suarez-Cavani
"It's difficult to play with Luis because we are both attackers in the box." Despite their quality, Suarez and Cavani have found it hard to mix with the Uruguayan national team. Both are strikers, who play in the box and have high work-rates. They have shared messages in the past few days and are both looking to shine at the Parc des Princes.
Marquinhos' big night
David Luiz's return to Chelsea helped clear a path for him in the team and he has become a key player for Unai Emery. Marquinhos was wanted by Barcelona in various summers but in the end he stayed at PSG.
He will have a tough night with Thiago Silva out and the MSN looking for goals, and finding them in recent games.
Topics with the letter
