PSG are without Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Marco Verratti and Serge Aurier through suspension, as well as the hamstrung Motta. Lucas Moura, who is not fully recovered from a groin injury, will only be on the bench while David Luiz, treated recently in Russia for his own hamstring issues, is unlikely to feature despite being a surprise and welcome inclusion in a 19-man party. PSG’s lavishly assembled squad boasts depth but, , they confront a team whose reputation on this stage is established. Barça have won 30 of their past 34 matches in all competitions and their players, as Blanc volunteered, are capable of “playing PlayStation football against anyone”.
PSG are unbeaten in 33 home games in Europe going back to 2006. In Edinson Cavani they boast an industrious forward anxious to seize the opportunity afforded him by Ibrahimovic’s untimely absence. Javier Pastore, whose impact in Ligue 1 since arriving as the first major signing of the Qatari ownership’s tenure had been so fitful, is enjoying the most consistently threatening form of his career, an Argentina international capable of “extraordinary things now he believes in himself”, according to Blanc. Blaise Matuidi is all tigerish aggression in midfield, with Adrien Rabiot a player of huge promise at his side, while Marquinhos is developing into a defender of class and quality alongside Thiago Silva.
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