Paris Saint-Germain may not have had their first choice front line, but that didn't keep them from leaving the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys with a 2-1 victory over Barcelona on Wednesday. It was Goncalo Ramos who had the winner off the bench as Luis Enrique didn't have Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia available for the tie. Things got even thinner before kickoff with Joao Neves suffering an injury in the warmup and being replaced by Warren Zaire-Emery, but the ever-flexible Enrique had a plan to emerge with victory.
Barcelona had their own injury concerns with Raphinha missing out, but for the beginning of the match, they seemed like the stronger side, going up 1-0 thanks a Marcus Rashford assist to Ferran Torres, before PSG got their bearings and made it a game through strong performances from their fullbacks, Nuno Mendes and Achraf Hakimi, to cancel out Ferran Torres' opening goal. It was Mendes who got the assist on the equalizer to teenager Senny Maylulu and then Hakimi who assisted the winner
It's Goncalo Ramos with quite a finish off the bench. After a check for offside, he hust stayed on after Hakimi set up the goal. It felt like this was destined to end in a draw, but PSG never stopped looking for a winning goal, which they eventually got to become one of only six teams to be on a perfect six points from two matches.
10 minutes are left, and are these teams happy playing to a draw? Lamine Yamal is the only player shooting, but he hasn't been up to his normal sharpness, which is to be expected coming back from an injury. This has been an open match, but the winner just won't come.
Alejandro Balde is back for Barcelona, and this is a big one that can help add width to the side. Lewandowski isn't the only number nine to enter as Goncalo Ramos has also come into the match for PSG, replacing the injured Fabian Ruiz. Around 17 minutes remain, and plenty could happen before it's all said and done.
It's PSG who make the first change of the two teams but Lewandowski is getting ready on the sidelines for Barcelona, so more will be coming after the next stoppage in play. Marc Casado is also getting prepared to enter.
Again, Barcelona tries to get the ball to Yamal, and it's intercepted. Barca will have a free kick from a dangerous position that was close to being a penalty which Mendes was lucky to not be sent off for. This is quite a dangerous position.
The second half has now shifted in PSG's favor with Barcola stinging Szczesny's palms. PSG have turned things up a notch, and Barcelona may need a change, like bringing on Robert Lewandowski.
No changes at the half, but we'll see if any adjustments have been made in how these teams approach the match.
Both teams have had moments of dominance in what has become an even affair. Barcelona holds the advantage in attack, but they haven't been able to get Lamine Yamal involved despite him taking the most touches of any player on the pitch. With Nuno Mendes on a yellow card, that's something that will have to change in the second half of play.
This will change the match a bit. Mendes has been doing well, keeping up with Yamal, but now on a yellow, he can't be as physical as he'd like to be moving forward.
From Barcelona turning defense into attack to Marcus Rashford keeping his good form going. Yamal got the interception, Rashford got the assist, and Torres made a tough finish look easy. Barcelona secures a deserved early lead in the match. It was coming as their attackers have been too much for PSG's press, and the injuries to Luis Enrique's front line are hurting their attack.
Hakimi's free kick almost curled into the net, but Szczesny saw it the entire way. That was PSG's first shot on target almost 30 minutes into the match.
Ferran Torres and Dani Olmo have both come close to scoring goals, and this has become a one-sided match in the early going. Can PSG adjust?
Watch this space, as we can already see where a major matchup is coming for Barcelona versus PSG. So far, it has been even, but Vitinha has already needed to drop deep to provide cover in defense, which may hurt PSG trying to get forward on the break.
Yamal didn't score, but he skipped through the PSG defense to set up Ferran Torres for a shot only a minute into the match. Barcelona will want to push the pace and it shows early on.
We've got about 10 minutes until things get underway.
This could have been a very exciting Champions League final four months ago but in this case, this fixture just may be better late than never. Reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain may be without Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele but they still pack plenty of attacking punch, which is remarkable given that Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is also questionable, while Lamine Yamal seems destined to live up to the occasion for Barcelona. A draw seems fitting at this early stage of the season between two top-tier sides who are willing and able to make this one of the league phase's most entertaining matches. -- Pardeep Cattry
Lamine Yamal is box office viewing. If you can get it, it's worth laddering his shots from outside the box, as Yamal hasn't met a shot that he doesn't like, and he has the vision and ability to put them all on frame. If PSG keeper Lucas Chevalier isn't on his game, Yamal will end up scoring a goal, but with Raphinha missing out, the Barcelona man will have plenty of opportunities to rip shots in this one. -- Charles Booth
The Moroccan winger can shine against Barcelona on Wednesday, as the French giants are likely to benefit from the spaces left by the Spanish team when they attack. As we can likely expect a lot goals in this game, Hakimi is one of those players who can take advantage of this tactical situation. He's still looking for his first goal of the season, and these are the kinds of matches that showcase his qualities.. -- Francesco Porzio
To put it mildly, there are a few options here. This is the final that the neutrals wanted last season rerun for the league phase, after all. And what a joy it will be to see Yamal on the pitch after he returned from injury against Real Sociedad at the weekend. It didn't take long for him to make an impact then, delivering the assist for Robert Lewandowski's winner. If we have learned anything from the early years of his career so far, he might just do the same this week. -- James Benge
Lamaine Yamal is back in the XI for Barcelona, but surprisingly, Robert Lewandowski will start on the bench for this one. Luis Enrique has gone with a youthful front line that has an average age of 19 for this important match.
Barcelona: Wojciech Szczesny, Jules Kounde, Eric Garcia, Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin, Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Ferran Torres, Marcus Rashford
Paris Saint-Germain: Lucas Chevalier, Achraf Hakimi, Illia Zabarnyi, Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz, Ibrahim Mbaye, Senny Mayulu, Bradley Barcola
Barcelona: Wojciech Szczesny, Jules Kounde, Eric Garcia, Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin, Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski
Paris Saint-Germain: Lucas Chevalier, Achraf Hakimi, Illia Zabarnyi, Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes, Warren Zaire-Emery, Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz, Lee Kang-in, Goncalo Ramos, Bradley Barcola
Lamine Yamal has returned, delivering a game-winning assist against Real Sociedad, and it's just what the doctor ordered for Barcelona. Without Raphinha, they'll face PSG on Tuesday in a clash that is fit for the later stages of this tournament. With PSG's press, Luis Enrique could have a way to keep Barcelona's high-flying attack at bay, but without Ousmane Dembele, neither team will be at their full strength. That lack of perfection is what will make this a fascinating clash. Barcelona have shown defensive issues while PSG have taken time to score in league play, but as both meet, which will come out on top?
One great thing about the new league phase format is that it provides epic matchups from wire to wire. PSG and Barcelona are sides who wouldn't have been placed in the same group, but we get to be the winners seeing them square off against one another. Even without their full strength sides, this is going to be a fascinating clash.
