WHO: Barcelona vs Paris Saint-Germain
Contents: League Phase, UEFA Champions League
Location: Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companies in Barcelona, Spain
When: Wednesday, October 1st, 9pm (7:00 GMT)
How to Follow: Before the live text commentary stream, do all your builds from 16:00 GMT to Al Jazeera Sport.
The two European super teams will clash in the opening leg of the Match Day 2 UEFA Champions League (UCL) as title holder Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) travels to the Olympic Stadium to play five-time winner Barcelona on Wednesday.
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Both sides began their new season strongly: PSG started their title defense with a dominant 4-0 win over Italian side Atalanta, with Barca ahead of Newcastle United 2-1 in the opening league phase fixture.
This is something you should know before the biggest match of the 2025-26 Champions League ever.
Barcelona’s recent form
The Catalan side secured a 2-1 comeback victory against Real Sociedad on Sunday, giving them the top of the La Liga standings after looking back at the match with goals from Jules Kaunde and Robert Lewandowski on both sides of halftime.
Barcelona’s sixth victory in seven matches moved the champions to 19 points.
“It was a team victory. They knew how to play, and it was a tough job, but we deserved it,” said Barcelona coach Hansi Frick.
Barcelona also finished the 2024-25 season unbeaten at home with Champions League fixtures.
PSG’s recent form
PSG is at Lyon’s level with 15 points at the top of the French League One.
The only loss of the season was proven by Knife Agurdo’s early header, who proved decisive in his first home league victory on September 22nd to Marseille, the first home league victory on his side since 2011.
Early seasonal injuries in PSG
The launch of PSG’s new European campaign has been hampered by injuries, with superstar striker and 2025 Ballon d’Or winner Osmane Dembele heading out until mid-October in right ham string stock.
A brilliant and talented attacker, Desire Doue is on the sidelines with proper calf tensions until at least early October.
What happened when Barcelona last played PSG?
The Side last met on April 16th, 2024. PSG produced a stunning comeback by beating Barcelona 4-1 in the second game of the Champions League quarterfinals, winning a 6-4 tally in the final four of the 2023-24 tournament.
Rafinha gave Barcelona the lead in the deciding match, but they were sent off before Ronald Araujo’s goals of Osmane Dembele, Vitanya and Killian Mbappe Brace – one of the final appearances at the French club, bringing PSG to the semi-finals against Borussia Dortmund.
How many titles did PSG win in the 2024-25 season?
The Paris Club won four major trophies to solidify the most successful season in the team’s 55-year history: League 1, Coupede France, Trophy Death Champions and UEFA Champions League.
They also finished runner-up to Chelsea at the FIFA Club World Cup in June.
Barcelona team news
Rafina is the biggest name missing from the home side of the flick. The Brazilian winger has been eliminated from the PSG match due to a hamstring injury.
Also featured are Joan Garcia (knee), Gavi (knee), Fermin Lopez (rear) and first-choice goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen (rear).
Wojciech Szczesny endorses Ter Stegen in Starting XI and is the candidate with Gerald Martin being the most likely candidate to fill out Garcia on the backline.
A big bonus for the Catalan side, star winger Ramin Yamal is expected to return to XI for the first time since he avoided four games due to a gro caliber injury. He came on Sunday as a replacement for the team’s victory over Real Sociedad.
PSG Team News
Coach Louis Enrique has few offensive options with wing scoring threats with injured bystanders Talisman Forward Dembele since early September.
Kvaratskhelia can’t play either, so the scoring load shifts to the international Bradley Bercola in France, leading the line with Barca.
Brazilian centre back Marquiin also missed the match due to a problem with his left thigh.
The good news for Enrique was that he was able to announce on Tuesday that Portuguese midfielder Vitinha, who was third in Baron Door earlier this month, was injured.
Barcelona’s predicted starting lineup
Szczesny (goalkeeper); Kunde, Cubarsi, Araujo, Martin; Pedri, DeJohn. Yamal, Ormo, Rashford. Lewandowski
PSG predicted the starting lineup
Chevalier (goalkeeper); Hakimi, Zabarnyi, Pacho, Mendes; Lee, Bicinya, Zaire Emery. Mbaye, Ramos, Barcola
Head-on:
Total Match – 13 Barcelona Victory – 5 PSG Wins – 4 Draws – 4
The final 5 matches:
Barcelona: lol lol (all competitions, the latest results last) psg: lolw
What the coach had to say:
Enrique (PSG): “If you look at the game between Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, you don’t play five or six important players (from both teams)… For me, it’s a shame for the manager, Hans, Flick and fans of both teams,” Enrique said.
Flick (Barcelona): “I don’t think (the amount of injuries) is normal for us, but injuries happen.
2025-26 What is the league phase of the UEFA Champions League?
Currently, in the expanded league phase, which is entering the second season, all 36 teams are placed in one big league table. The club replaced an older group phase where they were drawn into a small cohort.
During the league stage, each team plays eight matches against other countries’ opponents to determine the league’s overall rankings.
The 24 highest-ranked teams will advance to the knockout phase of the tournament after Match Day 8. The top eight clubs will go directly to the 16th round. And clubs ranked between 9th and 24th will enter the two-legged playoffs to reach the knockout phase. The lower 12 clubs have been eliminated from the tournament.
2025-26 When will the UEFA Champions League: League Phase match?
Match Day 1: September 16-18, 2025 Match Day 2: September 30, 2025 – October 1, 2025 Match Day 3: October 21-22, 2025 Match Day 4: January 4-5, 2025, January 25-26, 2025, Match Day 6: December 9-10, January 7, 2025: January 8, 2021, 8, 8: January 28, 2026
Where is the 2025-26 Champions League final?
The UEFA Champions League final will be held on May 30th at Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary.
