Javier Pastore vs. Blaise Matuidi: Who Is the Best Option for PSG vs. Barcelona?

French champions Paris Saint-Germain will be in action in Barcelona on Wednesday as they attempt to beat the Catalan giants to top spot in Group F of the UEFA Champions League. Having beaten Luis Enrique’s men in Paris earlier in the campaign, Les Parisiens go to the Camp Nou knowing that a draw would be good enough to secure first place.

After Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat away at Newcastle United in the English Premier League last Saturday, Laurent Blanc’s men are now the only remaining club across all five major European leagues to have not tasted defeat domestically or in continental competition.

PSG’s trip to Barcelona will sternly test that record.

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Despite having been playing within themselves in a number of recent games, the French capital outfit are expected to raise their game against the Blaugrana.

The same happened when the pair met in Paris back in late September, when PSG put aside their average Ligue 1 form to overcome Barca in a thrilling 3-2 victory that saw the dominant team from last season make a rare reappearance.

Blanc needs the same level of effort and commitment from his players this time around, as well as some ingenuity from star man Zlatan Ibrahimovic. To do this, Le President has an almost full strength squad to choose from and is only missing Jean-Christophe Bahebeck.

With his squad returning to something close to full fitness, Blanc is posed with a headache in midfield.

In the 3-2 win over Barcelona at the Parc des Princes just over two months ago, the Frenchman went with his trusted midfield three that played so well for more or less the entirety of last season. Thiago Motta, as well as goal scorers Marco Verratti and Blaise Matuidi, comprised Blanc’s midfield trio and that unit was a key reason for PSG’s domestic dominance and deep run in the Champions League.

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However, since that success last season, Javier Pastore’s star has been on the rise in the French capital.

The cultured Argentine playmaker has performed extremely well so far this season and has been one of the team’s outstanding performers in both Ligue 1 and the Champions League. Capable of playing both in the middle of the park and the final third, El Flaco has been utilised in almost every game so far by Blanc.

Unfortunately for Pastore, though, when Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani and Lucas Moura—another of PSG’s star performers so far this season—are fit, there is no space in the front three. The same pretty much applies in the midfield when Motta, Verratti and Matuidi are all in top condition.

So Blanc now faces a dilemma in whether to play Pastore instead of one of his preferred midfield three.

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Of Motta, Verratti and Matuidi, the French international is the player who has been criticised most this season. Among the reasons regularly trotted out by the French press is the fact that he is less effective than he was last season and does less.

Not strictly true. Matuidi has been a victim of his own success.

The PSG No. 14 at his best is irrepressible, but what makes him such an important player is his all-round ability, tireless work ethic an unerring consistency. However, no matter how athletic and energetic a player is, there comes a point where they reach burnout.

For Matuidi, that point came earlier this season when the 27-year-old had returned from a minimal break after his FIFA World Cup exploits in Brazil with Les Bleus.

Rested during a number of PSG’s games earlier in the season, he was displaying signs of accumulated fatigue. Just after recovering from that and looking as if he was approaching his optimum level, Matuidi then injured his hand and had it operated on.

Ideally, the PSG man would have been rested during this period to allow him to recover from his operation and recuperate physically after a gruelling run of games. Les Parisiens’ midfield injury issues dictated that he could not do that and the player had to play with his hand heavily bandaged.

Despite a number of factors working against him since the start of the season, the fact remains that Matuidi remains an integral part of Blanc’s PSG team—even if not always at the same level as last season.

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It is unrealistic to expect Matuidi to be the same player without a real break to allow him to fully recharge his batteries. While, despite an excellent start to the season, Pastore still lacks the numerical backing to totally justify his starting role in a game of this magnitude.

In his 22 appearances made to date in all competitions, he has scored just once and provided three direct assists.

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The South American, for all of his excellent form, does not bring the same attributes to the PSG team as Matuidi and because of this becomes a risk alongside Motta and Verratti. El Flaco could provide a moment of magic, but Matuidi is more likely to give his coach 90 minutes of sheer graft and a willingness to dispossess Barcelona’s players at every opportunity.

That is what will be needed on Wednesday.

Additionally, Matuidi is not the only player to have notably suffered since the start of the season.

Motta has also been well below the high standards set last season and the Italian struggles without Matuidi in the midfield alongside him. Picking the latter is essentially like Blanc picking two players in his starting XI; if he wants Motta then he also needs Matuidi.

There is the chance that Blanc ditches the Italian in favour of the Frenchman and Pastore. However, Le President is more likely to go with his most trusted men on this one.

Despite a difficult start to the season for the likes of Matuidi and Motta, they will almost certainly get the nod ahead of Pastore.

*Pastore's Ligue 1 statistics are based on Ligue1.com information and Champions League on UEFA.com.