Could lightning strike twice? The last time PSG held a 3+ goal aggregate lead going into a UEFA Champions League (UCL) second leg with Barcelona, they ended up eliminated! Naturally, much has changed since the spring of 2017, and the Parisians should finish the job, having netted an average of 4.00 goals across their last three UCL fixtures.
While PSG would like an early goal, they have no reason to rush into this game headlong. This lends extra relevance to the fact that three of their last five UCL wins have seen them beat a second-half handicap, exclusively through goals scored beyond the hour mark.
Even the great Barcelona know that the game is all but up. No team under the current UCL format has ever lost the first leg of a competition-proper knockout at home by a 3+ goal margin and attained the requisite result in the away leg. After their first-leg drubbing, Barcelona have now lost by an average margin of 4.00 goals across their last three UCL defeats.
After successfully coming back from a 2-0 Copa del Rey aggregate deficit to Sevilla (Mar 3), Barcelona may have something of a blueprint for mounting a miracle here. Only a quickfire start from Barcelona can give them any hope, and notably, the ‘Blaugranes’ have scored their first goal inside 30 minutes in 12 of their last 13 ‘HT/FT double’ La Liga away wins.

11.03.21 01:30IST

Prediction: Total goals scored will be Over 1.5