Barcelona vs PSG – the new European Clasico?

Paris Saint-Germain are scheduled to make the trip to Catalonia in Spain to square off against Barcelona at the Estadi Olímpic on matchday 2 of the UEFA Champions League. This fixture has grown in stature over the years, with the Parisians emerging victorious in their last meeting on the European stage.

The fixture is highly anticipated, and promises to be the most thrilling and fascinating fixture in the the second round of European fixtures. Barcelona are approaching the tie in red-hot form, having won five games in their last five matches. Paris Saint-Germain are the treble winners and reigning champions of the Champions League. It has all the ingredients for a classic.

What to expect from the FCB-PSG fixture?

Both European giants will head into this fixture with several key players missing, and the respective supporters will certainly be dissatisfied with this. The Cules will miss out on the service of Raphina but will be braced with the return of Lamine Yamal. The Spaniard narrowly missed out on winning the Ballon d’Or to former Barcelona star and current PSG main-man, Ousmane Dembele.

Luis Enrique will be delighted about the prospect of having his first choice midfield available for this high-profile fixture. Vitinha, João Neves and Fabián Ruiz will all be waiting to make an impression against Barcelona. The tussle between Lamine Yamal and Nuno Mendes will be among the standout duels on the pitch.

Also Read – Liverpool want to sign this Barcelona defender next summer

Has the relationship turned sour between the two clubs?

Slowly and steadily, this fixture is turning into a rivalry with numerous reasons pointing in the same direction. The most recent clash was off the field at the presentation party at the Ballon d’Or gala when Barcelona’s Yamal lost out on the prestigious award to Ousmane Dembele. Barcelona loyalists were severely saddened by this outcome and expected their star man to win the trophy.

Additionally, the Parisians have constantly flexed their financial muscle against Barcelona. Paris Saint-Germain have gotten their hands on Barca’s biggest assets like Lionel Messi, Neymar and Ousmane Dembele in recent years. The Neymar transfer turned out to be the turning point in pushing Barcelona into financial turmoil.

Ousmane Dembele was injury-prone at Barcelona and spent prolonged spells on the sidelines. The club never got their money’s worth from the Frenchman. However, he moved on to Paris Saint-Germain and became the reason for Barcelona’s exit in the quarter-finals in the 2023/24 season. He delivered a MOM performance and made matters worse for the Cules by laughing without remorse as he knocked them out of the elite competition.

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Here is a look at other players who have played between the two clubs –

Direct transfers between Barcelona & Paris Saint-Germain

Player	Transfer Direction	Year	Transfer Fee	Age at Transfer
Mikel Arteta	Barcelona → PSG	2001	Loan	19
Ronaldinho	PSG → Barcelona	2003	€30 million	23
Maxwell	Barcelona → PSG	2012	€2.5 million	30
Neymar Jr.	Barcelona → PSG	2017	€222 million	25
Xavi Simons	Barcelona → PSG	2019	Youth Transfer	16
Lionel Messi	Barcelona → PSG	2021	Free Transfer	34
Dani Alves	PSG → Barcelona	2021	Free Transfer	38
Ousmane Dembélé	Barcelona → PSG	2023	€50.4 million	26

Indirect transfers between Barcelona & Paris Saint-Germain

Player	Barcelona Period	PSG Period	Path Between Clubs
Thiago Motta	2001-2007	2012-2018	Via Atlético Madrid, Genoa, Inter Milan
Zlatan Ibrahimović	2009-2010	2012-2016	Via AC Milan (loan)
Ludovic Giuly	2004-2007	2008-2011	Via AS Roma