Barcelona Know How to Beat PSG in Champions League but Must Keep Concentration
So here we are again. The Champions League gods have picked Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain out of the hat, and the sides will compete their third and fourth games against each other this season.
The likes of David Luiz, Marquinhos and Thiago Silva, all of whom were linked to Barcelona over the summer, seem set to play more games at the Camp Nou this season than eventual signing Thomas Vermaelen.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic returns to face his former side for what seems like the umpteenth time.
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By now, Barcelona have proven they know how to beat PSG.
The first time these sides met this season was the first time that Luis Enrique's men fell to defeat under the Asturian coach.
It was a night of harsh realities for Barcelona, who until then had been coasting along, winning games against weak opponents.
Javier Mascherano made an error, Marc-Andre ter Stegen too, and Barcelona were left to ponder whether they were strong enough to "go deep" in the competition.
David Luiz, Marco Verratti and Blaise Matuidi did the damage, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic unavailable to play.
The PSG defeat heralded the start of a bad run for Barcelona, which saw them lose the Clasico and then to Celta Vigo soon afterwards.
However since then, Barcelona have got back on the right path, and their second match against PSG is far more reflective of their current level.
They beat the French side 3-1 at the Camp Nou, with Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Neymar all on the scoresheet.
Zlatan struck one back for PSG, but Barcelona were far too strong overall.
The Swede will be missing the first leg against Barcelona through suspension, along with Verratti and Serge Aurier.
Blaise Matuidi and Gregory van der Wiel are also in danger of being suspended for the second leg, given they have obtained two yellow cards each in the tournament so far.
Barcelona's Rafinha is in the same boat, while Dani Alves will be unavailable in Paris after collecting his third in his side's 1-0 win over Manchester City on Wednesday night.
Overall, this leaves Barcelona in a stronger position than Laurent Blanc's side, who must now plot a way past their opponents.
PSG were let off the hook by Chelsea in the last round, with Jose Mourinho refusing to let his side attack at Stamford Bridge, despite Zlatan's sending off.
The strength of the Messi-Neymar-Suarez attack will be the key force in this tie and gives Barcelona a distinct advantage.
However, if Barcelona don't concentrate 100 percent, PSG are dangerous enough to make them pay.
There are some tricky games ahead for the Catalans. They travel to Sevilla on April 11, which is an incredibly difficult place to win, before heading to Paris three days later.
Then they host Valencia, another side contending for a Champions League place, before welcoming PSG to the Camp Nou.
Those four games take place in 11 days, which will be a truly testing period for Barcelona. The weekend after sees them take on Espanyol away from home in the Catalan derby.
Although they are better than each of their opponents, the cumulative effect of facing these tough sides could have a big impact.
Enrique will need to make sure that his team, including the lesser-used squad members, is ready for the challenge.
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