Paris Saint-Germain vs. Barcelona preview, Champions League 2015: PSG trying to take next step

One of the headline matchups of this quarterfinal round of the Champions League pits Barcelona with rising French giants Paris Saint-Germain. PSG are coming off a dramatic second leg match in the last round that saw them overcome Chelsea to knock the English power out of the competition, and now they’re setting their sights on Barcelona as they try to prove to the world that PSG do, indeed, belong among the elite of Europe.

The two teams split wins in the group stage this past fall, with each side winning their respective home match. Barcelona also triumphed when these teams played in the same stage of the Champions League two years ago, though it took the away goals tiebreaker rule to do so. If PSG can find a way past Barcelona, it would be quite an accomplishment -- but this Barcelona side is much, much better than they were this time in 2013.

This match is as much about who’s missing as who’s actually going to be on the pitch. PSG are without Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Marco Verratti and Serge Aurier through suspension, and both David Luiz and Thiago Motta are likely to miss out with injuries. That takes a lot of the French club’s defense out of the picture, as well as their best passing central midfielder and, of course, the offensive firepower that is Zlatan. They’ve got the depth to make up for it, but they certainly won’t be at their best for this vital match.

Barcelona are in much better shape, though who plays at right back will be a mystery with Dani Alves suspended. Martin Montoya is their only other natural right back, but he’s been very out of favor this season. Adriano is the next best option, but he’s much more comfortable on the left flank than the right. Barca are also without the injured Thomas Vermaelen, but that’s just business as usual this season.

Paris Saint-Germain (4-3-3): Salvatore Sirigu; Maxwell, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva, Gregory Van der Wiel; Adrien Rabiot, Blaise Matuidi, Yohan Cabaye; Javier Pastore, Edinson Cavani, Ezequiel Lavezzi

PSG’s defense vs. Barcelona’s front three - With PSG’s defense lacking two regular starters, dealing with Barcelona’s front three is going to be an incredible challenge. Trying to keep Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez at bay is a nearly impossible task for anyone on a good day, but without David Luiz and Serge Aurier, that task will be an order of magnitude harder.

Adrien Rabiot vs. Ivan Rakitic - Rabiot is the man most likely to be tabbed as the deepest man in PSG’s midfield with Marco Verratti and likely Thiago Motta out, and he’s going to have his hands full. The young Frenchman is good, but he’s rarely faced as stiff a test as the underappreciated Rakitic is going to give him. If he can’t at least slow Rakitic down, it’s going to make for a very long night for PSG, and probably a bad one.

Edinson Cavani vs. Gerard Pique - Pique has been very good of late, but he’s still prone to some of the random and bizarre mistakes that have plagued him over the last couple of years. He especially struggles with more physical strikers, and Cavani definitely ticks that box. If PSG have any matchup they can win outright, this is the one, and they need to take full advantage of that to try and get something from this match.

If they were at full strength, you could definitely see Paris Saint-Germain giving Barcelona a run for their money. With so many key absences, though, it’s hard to see them overcoming the Spaniards. This seems fated to go down as a 2-1 Barcelona win.