⚽ Champions League Barça–PSG the clash

The Champions League is made up of unmissable events. The duel between FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain on September 30, 2025, is one of those evenings that will leave a lasting impression on the collective imagination. A decade-long rivalry, evenings of drunkenness and sporting drama, legends in the making... All the ingredients are there, even if the match will be without a global star: Ousmane Dembélé, who had just won the Ballon d'Or, but is injured and absent for this clash.

🔥 A historic shock Barça – PSG

Barcelona and PSG are not just any group match. Since their first European clash in 1995, the two clubs have shared a special relationship filled with respect, injuries, and revenge.

• 1995: PSG, with a sparkling Rai, eliminated Barça in the quarter-finals.
• 2013, 2015, 2021: the Catalans impose their law, with an incandescent Neymar in 2015 and an irresistible Messi.
• 2017: the famous “remontada” (6-1) which remains etched as one of the greatest comebacks in history.

Video summary of Barça's famous comeback against PSG

• 2021: Mbappé, then a Parisian, crucifies Barcelona at the Camp Nou (1-4), reminding us that Paris also knows how to write history.

Today, Mbappé is no longer there (he now shines at Real Madrid), Neymar and Messi belong to the past, but the intensity remains.

⚠️ A shower of absences

This match, however, suffers from an unprecedented context: the two teams have never faced each other with so many injuries.

• PSG side:
  
  • Ousmane Dembélé, who just won the 2025 Ballon d'Or, is convalescing in Qatar.
  • Defensive leader Marquinhos will be missing.
  • João Neves and Désiré Doué, two young midfielders, are out.
  • Vitinha and Kvaratskhelia remain uncertain.

PSG absentees discussed ahead of Barca clash

• Barça side:
  
  • Ter Stegen, still diminished, leaves his goals to his understudies.
  • Gavi, who has been injured for a long time, is missing.
  • Raphinha is still unavailable.
  • Alejandro Balde is slowly coming back, but not at 100 %.

A clash without stars, but which will highlight the collective strengths and young talents ready to take on the spotlight.

🏅 The shadow of the Ballon d'Or: Ousmane Dembélé

It's one of the defining stories of this season: after years of injuries and inconsistency, Ousmane Dembélé has finally found his full potential. Dazzling in the 2024/25 Champions League, decisive in the final, and irresistible in the league, he was logically crowned the 2025 Ballon d'Or.

His absence changes everything.

• Sportingly, PSG has lost its most unpredictable weapon: its ability to eliminate a defender with a pass, to break the lines by dribbling, and to create constant danger in depth.
• Psychologically, it was a tough blow: Paris came to Barcelona with the possibility of seeing its Ballon d'Or winner challenge Lamine Yamal, the "announced runner-up." The European press had already headlined "the duel of the heirs," but it would not take place.

For supporters, this injury fuels frustration. But it also serves as a reminder of the fragility of PSG 2025, built on individual strengths that must now be replaced by collective balance.

📊 Sector by sector analysis

🧤 Goalkeepers: PSG better equipped

• Barça: Ter Stegen out, making way for the understudies (Peña or García). Capable, but not at the level expected in a match of this magnitude.
• PSG: Lucas Chevalier is emerging as a revelation. Excellent against Atalanta (clean sheet, reflex saves), he brings calm and confidence.

👉 Clear advantage to PSG.

🛡️ Defense: a duel of philosophies

• Barça: Araújo and Koundé, a tough and fast duo. Cancelo, more of a winger than a full-back, can be explosive but is exposed at the back.
• PSG: Without Marquinhos, Škriniar holds the house but lacks liveliness. Hakimi and Mendes compensate with their explosiveness and ability to project the game.

👉 Central defense: Barça.

👉 Corridors: PSG.

⚙️ Middle: the Catalan heart

• Barça: Pedri and De Jong, a double brain. Gündogan in relay, always valuable in big events.
• PSG: Zaire-Emery, a tireless driving force, will lead a diminished midfield. Without João Neves and Doué, Paris loses its depth.

👉 Advantage Barça, more balanced and capable of imposing the pace.

🎯 Attack: the Catalan advantage

• Barça:
  
  • Lewandowski, still clinical (3 goals in La Liga already).
  • Lamine Yamal, 18, a nugget of European football, capable of turning a match around with his dribbling.
  • Ferran Torres and Ansu Fati as secondary options.
• PSG:
  
  • Ramos, good finisher but dependent on crosses.
  • With Dembélé out, Kvaratskhelia uncertain: Paris is seriously lacking in impact and unpredictability.

👉 Net advantage Barça.

🧠 Mental factor: Montjuïc as a catalyst

Even though the Camp Nou is still under construction, Barça will play at the Montjuïc stadium, where the atmosphere in the Champions League remains electric. The Catalans are looking to make a big impact in the group stage and take advantage of Paris' weaknesses.

PSG, for its part, travels with a weight: that of the defending champion. The demands are maximum, and the slightest defeat will be scrutinized. Luis Enrique, back in Barcelona, will have to find the words to galvanize a depleted squad.

🧑‍🏫 The role of coaches

• Xavi Hernández (Barça):
  True to his style of play, he wants to keep possession and stifle Paris with possession. He has made Yamal his "permanent joker," capable of breaking any deadlock.
• Luis Enrique (PSG):
  Back in his old backyard, he has to tinker. Without Dembélé, he could rely on a more direct attack with Hakimi high up the pitch and Ramos as an anchor. His management of absentees will be scrutinized.

🔍 Expected Duel: Yamal vs Hakimi

One of the key duels.

• Lamine Yamal: 18 years old, speed, dribbling, unpredictability. Already decisive against Real Sociedad upon his return, he could turn the tide of the match.
• Achraf Hakimi: One of the best full-backs in the world, fast and solid in one-on-one situations. But he will need to find the balance between containing Yamal and providing an offensive advantage.

An explosive generational duel that could determine the entire match.

🔮 Likely scenario

A tense match, balanced in intensity but unbalanced in creativity.

• Barça takes control, multiplying the passing sequences with Pedri and De Jong.
• PSG tried to counter with Hakimi and Mendes, but suffered in the build-up.
• Lewandowski opens the scoring. Ramos equalizes from a set piece. Yamal, again, gives the Catalans victory late in the match.

Prediction: Barcelona 2 – 1 PSG.

✍️ Attractive poster but…

This Barça – PSG 2025 is a poster of paradoxes: deprived of its Ballon d'Or (Dembélé), amputated of several stars, but still as exciting.

• For Barça, it is an opportunity to prove that its new generation can take up the torch.
• For PSG, it is a test of depth and resilience.

The Champions League may no longer have Messi, Neymar, or Mbappé in this fixture, but it still delivers what it promises: a clash of history, pride, and the future.

Player Statistics

Attackers

* Kvaratskhelia uncertain / Dembélé out.

Midfielders

Defenders

Guardians

📌 Key points to remember

• Lewandowski remains the most prolific scorer in the match.
• Yamal is already an elite creator with over 4 successful dribbles per game.
• Zaire-Emery brings power and defensive volume to PSG, but suffers against the creativity of Pedri and De Jong.
• Hakimi vs Yamal promises to be the most decisive duel.
• Chevalier gives PSG an advantage at goalkeeper, especially with Ter Stegen's absence.

https://www.psg.fr/matchs/football-masculin/20252026/barcelona-vs-paris-2025-10-01