Paris v Barcelona background

Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona meet for the third time this season with the four-time European champions looking to avoid another defeat in the French capital.

Previous meetings
• Paris recorded a famous victory on matchday two after David Luiz had opened the scoring. Although Lionel Messi responded immediately, Marco Verratti made it 2-1 before Blaise Matuidi and Neymar swapped goals later on.

• The lineups at the Parc des Princes on 30 September 2014 were:
Paris: Sirigu, Van der Wiel, Marquinhos, David Luiz, Maxwell, Verratti (Cabaye 71), Thiago Motta, Matuidi, Lucas (Bahebeck 90), Pastore (Chantôme 86), Cavani.
Barcelona: Ter Stegen, Daniel Alves (Sandro Ramírez 83), Mascherano, Mathieu, Alba, Rakitić (Xavi 69), Busquets, Iniesta, Pedro (El Haddadi 62), Messi, Neymar.

• When the teams met again on matchday six, the Catalan club secured top spot in Group F with a 3-1 home win. After Zlatan Ibrahimović's opener, Messi, Neymar and Luis Suárez scored the goals that ensured Barça finished with a two–point advantage over their opponents.

• The lineups at the Camp Nou on 10 December 2014 were:
Barcelona: Ter Stegen, Bartra (Adriano 90), Piqué, Mascherano, Mathieu, Pedro (Rakitić 68), Busquets, Iniesta (Xavi 73), Messi, Suárez, Neymar.
Paris: Sirigu, Van der Wiel, Thiago Silva, David Luiz, Maxwell, Verratti (Pastore 62), Thiago Motta, Lucas, Matuidi (Lavezzi 75), Ibrahimović, Cavani.

• It is the third time the teams have met at this stage of the competition. In the 2012/13 quarter-finals Barcelona beat Paris on away goals after two draws – 2-2 at Parc des Princes, 1-1 at the Camp Nou.

• The lineups in Paris on 2 April 2013 were:
Paris: Sirigu, Jallet, Alex, Thiago Silva, Maxwell, Beckham (Verratti 70), Matuidi, Lucas, Pastore (Gameiro 76), Ibrahimović, Lavezzi (Ménez 66).
Barcelona: Valdés, Daniel Alves, Piqué, Mascherano (Bartra 84), Alba, Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta, Sánchez, Messi (Fàbregas 46), Villa (Tello 81). 

• The 1994/95 quarter-final went Paris' way as they advanced 3-2 on aggregate. A 1-1 draw in Spain was followed by a 2-1 home success at the Parc des Princes, Raí and Vincent Guérin scoring in the last 18 minutes to take Paris through.

• Last December's group stage win was only Barça's second victory in seven games against Paris. The other was the 1-0 triumph in the 1997 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final with Ronaldo scoring the only goal. Luis Enrique played for Barcelona but Laurent Blanc, then a Barcelona player, did not feature in the final.

Match background

Paris

• The French champions are looking for a last-four place in the European Cup for the second time, having lost to AC Milan in 1994/95 after beating Barcelona in the last eight. Paris have lost in the quarter-finals in each of the past two seasons and their other last-eight appearance in Europe since reaching the second group stage of the 2000/01 UEFA Champions League also ended in defeat, against FC Dynamo Kyiv in the 2008/09 UEFA Cup.

• Paris are unbeaten in 33 European home games (22 wins, 11 draws) dating back to a 4-2 loss to Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC in the UEFA Cup group stage in November 2006.

• This season, Laurent Blanc's side won all three of their home group games before drawing 1-1 against Chelsea FC in the round of 16, going on to win the tie on away goals.

• Their home record against Spanish visitors is W6 D4 L1; overall it is W10 D6 L6. The solitary home loss was a 3-1 defeat by RC Deportivo La Coruña in the 2000/01 UEFA Champions League second group stage.

Barcelona

• Barcelona are in the quarter-finals for a record eighth consecutive season. Last season they missed out on a seventh semi-final in a row when they lost 2-1 on aggregate to Club Atlético de Madrid (1-1 h, 0-1 a)

• They have won five of their last nine UEFA Champions League away games, including a 2-1 triumph at Manchester City FC in the round of 16, losing three.

• The Blaugrana's record away to French sides is W3 D3 L3. They have not won in their last four visits although three of those were drawn.

• They last won on French soil at Olympique Lyonnais in the 2001/02 first group stage, Xavi Hernández featuring in a 3-2 victory.

Coach and player links
• Blanc and Luis Enrique played together at the Camp Nou during the former's solitary campaign there (1996/97).

• Luis Enrique was in the Real Madrid CF side knocked out of Europe by Paris in the 1992/93 UEFA Cup quarter-finals (3-1 h, 1-4 a), then in the 1993/94 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals (0-1 h, 1-1 a).

• Blanc was in charge of the France side beaten 2-0 by Spain in the UEFA EURO 2012 quarter-finals. Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, Gerard Piqué, Xavi, Andrés Iniesta and Pedro Rodríguez all featured.

• Thiago Motta came through the Barcelona academy and made 96 Liga appearances, scoring six goals. He won two Spanish titles and was an unused substitute for their 2006 UEFA Champions League final win against Arsenal FC.

• Maxwell made 57 Liga appearances for Barcelona (2009–12) and won two league titles but was not involved in the 2011 UEFA Champions League final.

• Thiago Silva headed Milan's added-time equaliser in a 2-2 group stage draw at Barcelona in September 2011. His Milan side were beaten 3-2 at home in the return fixture and the defender missed both legs of Barcelona's 3-1 aggregate win in the quarter-finals.

• Motta was a second-half substitute and Salvatore Sirigu sat on the bench as Italy lost 4-0 to Spain in the UEFA EURO 2012 final in Kyiv. Jordi Alba scored the second goal and Piqué, Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets also featured.

• Douglas Pereira and Lucas Moura shared a dressing room at São Paulo FC for the latter half of 2012, winning the Copa Sudamericana together.

• Luiz scored a goal and put a penalty past Claudio Bravo to help Brazil beat Chile on spot kicks after a 1-1 draw in the 2014 FIFA World Cup round of 16.

• Neymar, playing alongside Thiago Silva, scored in Brazil's 3-1 win against Matuidi's France in a Stade de France friendly on 26 March.

Match facts

Paris
• Verratti and Ibrahimović are serving one-match suspensions while Serge Aurier begins a three-game ban. Matuidi and Gregory van der Wiel are both a booking away from a ban.

• Paris have won their last three games since a 3-2 loss at FC Girondins de Bordeaux on 15 March, culminating in Saturday's 4-0 defeat of SC Bastia in the League Cup final - Ibrahimović and Edinson Cavani scoring two each.

• Including the final fixture of last season, the French champions are unbeaten in 24 home matches.

• Ibrahimović has scored 13 goals in his last seven outings for club and country, including hat-tricks against FC Lorient (3-1) and AS Saint-Étienne (4-1).

• Ibrahimović's double against Bastia took his tally of goals for Paris in all competitions to 104. He is five behind Pauleta's club record.

• Paris will play Ligue 2's AJ Auxerre in the French Cup final on 30 May.

• Lucas featured against Bastia, having not played since 14 February because of a groin problem. David Luiz and Thiago Motta were ruled out for four weeks and ten days respectively with the hamstring injuries they sustained in the 3-2 success at Olympique de Marseille on 5 April.

• Javier Pastore scored his first goal for Argentina in the Albiceleste's 2-1 friendly victory against Ecuador on 31 March.

Barcelona
• Daniel Alves serves a one-match suspension.

• Barcelona have won 30 of their last 34 games in all competitions, but a nine-game winning streak came to an end in a 2-2 draw at Sevilla FC on Saturday.

• Lionel Messi and Neymar struck to give Barcelona a 2-0 lead, but Éver Banega responded before the break, and Kevin Gameiro (83) earned the home side a draw.

• Luis Suárez had scored nine goals in his last nine appearances in all competitions prior to the Sevilla game.

• Alba suffered a hamstring injury in Spain's 1-0 UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying defeat of Ukraine on 27 March but returned for the Sevilla game.