Official: Barcelona squad list vs Paris Saint-Germain announced

Four years after the iconic Remontada, Barcelona will play Paris Saint-Germain in the Parc des Princes this Wednesday. Down 4-1 after the first leg, the Catalans need nothing short of a miracle in order to advance. 

The club released their squad list for the tie earlier today, with notable absentees in the backline. Starlet Ronald Araujo has been in and out of the lineup for the past few weeks with injuries, and he remains sidelined against the Parisians. To make matters worse, Gerard Piqué, whose recent performances have reminded fans why he is a club legend, is also out. 

The two center backs would have been key to nullifying PSG’s attack, so Clement Lenglet, Samuel Umtiti, and Oscar Mingueza must step up in their absence.  

Jordi Alba picked up a knock midweek against Osasuna, but the defender is back in the squad. 

In midfield, Ilaix Moriba, who has made all the headlines this past week, is included in the squad. He is coming off an impressive game against Osasuna where he scored a goal, and his energy and vision could play a role for the Catalans. 

The squad for #PSGBarça! pic.twitter.com/RQpIvl7auz

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 9, 2021

Full List: ter Stegen, Neto, Peña; Dest, Mingueza, Lenglet, Umtiti, Alba, Firpo; Busquets, Matheus, Ilaix, de Jong, Pedri, Puig, Pjanic: Braithwaite, Konrad, Dembele, Messi, Trincão, Griezmann

Absentees: Araújo (ankle), Piqué (knee), Sergi Roberto (calf), Philippe Coutinho (knee), Ansu Fati (knee)

Ronald Koeman will likely opt for the 3-5-2 formation, with Mingueza, Lenglet and Umtiti filling in the backline. Barça switched to a 4-3-3 in the second half against Osasuna, but the team’s performance notably dipped. 

Jordi Alba and Sergino Dest will be key down the flanks, and his favoured midfield trio of Pedri, Sergio Busuqets, and Frenkie De Jong will start. That leaves two spots open, one which assuredly belongs to Lionel Messi, but there are question marks about who will start with him up top. Antoine Griezmann had another subpar performance midweek while Ousmane Dembélé’s pace could be lethal against Paris’ high backline. 

Regardless of the final score, Barcelona will be hoping for a positive performance against PSG.