Barcelona face a titanic clash with Paris Saint-Germain this coming Tuesday evening, with both sides facing off to do battle for a place in the quarter-final of the Champions League. Ousmane Dembele, the Blaugrana’s French wide-man, is under no illusions as to the strength of their opponents as per comments he’s made as reported by Mundo Deportivo. “We’re facing one of the favourites to win the Champions League,” he said.
Dembele said that there’s an appetite for revenge emanating from Paris that stems from 2017, when Barcelona knocked PSG out of the Champions League in stunning circumstances. But Dembele appeared quietly confident. This season he’s completed 26 of the 100 games he’s played for Barcelona, and looks physically and emotionally a great deal more robust.
He gives a good deal of credit to his coach, Ronald Koeman, for that. “Many things have changed under Koeman, especially with regard to training and preparation for matches,” he said. “Physically we feel very well. The training is of quality and also of high intensity. I think the team is in top form”
Barcelona lost the final of the Supercopa de Espana to Athletic Bilbao and the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final to Sevilla, and are third in La Liga, a point ahead of Sevilla, three behind Real Madrid and eight behind Atletico Madrid. They finished second in their Champions League group, behind Juventus, so will go into the clash with PSG as the underdog in the fight.