Paris Saint-Germain host Barcelona at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday at 21:00 CEST in the headline fixture of the Champions League's third matchday, RMC Sport reports. The two clubs sit first and second in the league phase with identical records of six points and a goal difference of seven, separated only by goals scored — ten for Paris against nine for Barcelona.
Both teams won their opening two European fixtures emphatically. The defending champions beat Slovan Bratislava 6-1 and won 4-2 at Manchester City, while Barcelona opened with a 5-1 victory over Feyenoord and a 4-1 win at Galatasaray. RMC Sport notes that Hansi Flick's side arrive unbeaten across all competitions this season, averaging more than four goals per game.
Why it matters
The match pits the competition's two most convincing starters against each other and will decide who leads the league phase going into the next round of fixtures. It also sets up a direct duel between Lamine Yamal and a Paris defence that must cope without its first-choice left-back.
PSG without Nuno Mendes as Luis Enrique weighs options
Luis Enrique named 23 players for the fixture, with no unexpected absences beyond the already known injury to Nuno Mendes, and Senny Mayulu returning to the squad, according to RMC Sport. The Portuguese left-back is unavailable for the coming weeks because of a lesion in his left thigh, an injury he picked up after coming on in the 53rd minute of Saturday's Ligue 1 win over Le Mans and leaving the pitch late in the match.
His absence is significant: RMC Sport reports that the 24-year-old had got the better of Yamal in their two most recent meetings. L'Équipe reports that Paris plan to contain the Barcelona winger collectively, with double marking among the options, and RMC Sport lists Digne, Hernandez, Zaïre-Emery and Neves among the candidates to fill the left side of the defence.
Barcelona are also short in defence. Flick must improvise at the back without Jules Koundé, who has a sprained left ankle, and Eric Garcia, who is expected to be out for three to four weeks with a muscle tear in his right thigh, per RMC Sport.
Rodri doubt and a change of shirt
Spanish radio station Onda Cero reported that Rodri, the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner, may not start against PSG and could even be rested, RMC Sport writes.
According to Mundo Deportivo and the wider Spanish press, UEFA and the body responsible for television broadcast rejected all three of Barcelona's kits for this season, so the club will wear its orange shirt from last season. RMC Sport also reports that Barcelona's X account has been unusually busy since Monday, posting images of Yamal, Raphinha and training footage ahead of the trip.
The referee for the match is English and is familiar to both clubs, having officiated their previous Champions League meeting in October 2025, which PSG won 2-1, according to RMC Sport.
In the earlier U19 fixture, PSG and Barcelona drew, with Niakaté scoring first for Paris and Pedro Rodriguez equalising from the penalty spot. Paris have seven points in the Youth League to Barcelona's four.
The match kicks off at 21:00 at the Parc des Princes, with live commentary on RMC Sport.
