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Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman has offered his verdict on the club’s Champions League draw after being paired with French champions Paris Saint-Germain in the Round of 16.
Koeman spoke to Barca TV about the tie following Monday’s draw and is looking forward to two “attractive” games against the Ligue 1 club in Europe’s top competition.
We knew that it would be a difficult draw for us but I think it’s 50/50. We know that Paris Saint-Germain is a team who needs to win, who needs to continue in the Champions League. We’d like to continue. I think it’s 50/50 for the final result.
They have a team, that have good players. They are spending a lot of money to win big titles. Last season they were in the final, they lost it, but they get a new chance this season and for that it’s a nice tie. They have good players, we have good players. It will be an attractive match in Barcelona and in Paris.
The dates for the two matches have now been confirmed. Barcelona will host PSG at the Camp Nou on February 16 and then play the return at the Parc des Princes on March 10.
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PSG Chief Looks Forward to Barca Tie
Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo also offered his reaction to Monday’s Champions League draw. The French champions were beaten finalists last season and will be hoping to go one better this time around.
PSG have never tasted victory in Europe’s top competition, but Leonardo knows his team must beat the best if they are to prevail, as reported by UEFA.
We’ve played a lot against Barcelona in the last few years. What can you do? This team has a great tradition, it won’t be easy to play them in the round of 16, but it’s always the same in the Champions League. In order to go all the way, when you have ambitious aims, you have to face teams of that caliber. So, that’s why we’ll once again have to play a big match in the Champions League round of 16.
The Ligue 1 side have invested heavily in their squad in recent years in a bid to lift the European Cup for the first time. As such they boast a star-studded roster containing players such as Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Mauro Icardi, Marquinhos, and Marco Verratti.
Marquinhos Predicts ‘Big Battle’
Club captain Marquinhos also offered his thoughts on the draw and is expecting a big battle between the two sides over the two legs. The Brazilian told the club’s official website his team has changed a lot since the last time the two clubs met in the tournament.
It’s a big match to play in, a great challenge. They’re great opponents. We’re expecting a big battle, and we’ll have to be ready for it. We watched the draw, there weren’t many opponents left in the hat, we were ready for any opponent that came up.
We’re all motivated, we all said that we have to prepare for it well. There’s a great history between the two clubs in the Champions League, both good and bad memories for us. Our team has changed a lot, we’re more mature, and the context will be different. Neymar hurt us back then, now he’s with us. He’s really looking forward to playing this game and to help us win it.
The last time the two sides met was back in 2016-17 when Barcelona famously produced a phenomenal comeback to overturn a 4-0 first-leg deficit. The Catalan giants won 6-1 at the Camp Nou in one of the most memorable matches in the competition’s history.
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