PSG have a week, and two domestic games to take on, before they re-engage with Barcelona in the 2nd leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 showdown.
The Ligue 1 giants have the advantage of a commanding lead, winning the first leg 4-1 at the Camp Nou with the Les Parisiens having Kylian Mbappe to thank for this spectacular advantage, with the French superstar firing on all cylinders to score a breathtaking hat-trick in Catalonia, setting UCL history along the way.
However, even despite the 4-1 lead, PSG is the one club that knows not to take a huge first-leg European lead for granted, as they themselves had squandered a 4-0 advantage to lose 6-5 on aggregate the last time these two sides met in the knockout stages. As such, the French heavyweights would be extremely careful not to slack off against the Spanish giants, especially with a resurgent Messi in fighting fit form.
Unfortunately for the Parisien giants, Pochettino looks set to be without one key player for the return leg, which is a huge blow, as that man is none other than Neymar, according to Le Parisien, with the French publication claiming that the Brazilian is all but destined to miss out on the March 10 showdown.
Fans looking forward to the Selecao star’s return to Camp Nou would be greatly disappointed after he picked up a hip injury in PSG’s 1-0 cup win over Caen in early February. It was hoped he would recover in time to share a pitch with former team-mate and close friend Lionel Messi but this appears unlikely.
Regardless, the Parc des Princes must first handle their Wednesday league showdown with Bordeaux and their French Cup weekend tie against Brest before hosting the Catalan giants in the highly-anticipated fixture.