Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.. Historic encounters and exciting memories before the anticipated European clash
Agencies4 min read
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The confrontation between Spain's Barcelona and France's Paris Saint-Germain renews on Tuesday evening at the Parc des Princes in Paris, as part of the third round of the league phase in the 2026-2027 UEFA Champions League, in a match that recalls prominent milestones in the history of encounters between the two teams.
The match gains additional importance as both teams seek to continue their positive start in the tournament, having each won their first two matches, according to reports published before the game, which enhances the importance of securing points in the race for the top positions.
Previous encounters between the two teams have witnessed notable milestones, ranging from Barcelona's historic comeback in 2017 to Paris Saint-Germain's superiority in the 2021 and 2024 meetings, in a series of matches that left their mark on the history of the continental competition.
Barcelona's historic comeback in 2017
The teams' meeting in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 on March 8, 2017, is considered one of the most prominent matches in the tournament's history, after Barcelona won 6-1, overcoming their 4-0 first-leg loss to secure qualification with a 6-5 aggregate score.
Uruguayan Luis Suárez opened the scoring for Barcelona, before Paris Saint-Germain defender Layvin Kurzawa scored an own goal, and then Argentine Lionel Messi added the third goal from a penalty kick.
Despite Edinson Cavani scoring a goal for the French team, Barcelona continued their attacking pressure, with Brazilian Neymar succeeding in scoring two goals in the final minutes, before Sergi Roberto scored the winning goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time, in one of the most exciting finishes in Champions League history.
Paris Saint-Germain prevails in 2021
In the round of 16 of the 2020-2021 edition, Paris Saint-Germain managed to overcome Barcelona after winning the first leg in Spain 4-1, in a match during which Kylian Mbappé excelled by scoring three goals.
The second leg in Paris ended in a 1-1 draw, with the French team securing qualification to the quarter-finals with a 5-2 aggregate score, confirming their superiority in the matchup that brought to mind their loss to Barcelona four years earlier.
2024 encounter.. French qualification after a strong comeback
The meeting between the two teams was renewed in the quarter-finals of the 2023-2024 Champions League season, when Barcelona won the first leg in Paris 3-2, before the French team turned the result around in the second leg.
Barcelona took the lead in the return match with a goal by Brazilian Raphinha, but the expulsion of defender Ronald Araújo affected the course of the match, and Paris Saint-Germain took advantage of the numerical superiority to win 4-1.
Ousmane Dembélé, Vitinha, and Kylian Mbappé scored the goals for the French team, which secured qualification to the semi-finals with a 6-4 aggregate score.
Close numbers in the history of encounters
Statistics from UEFA data indicate that the results of the two teams in previous European encounters are close, as each has achieved six victories, against four draws, with 29 goals scored for each team, according to the figures reported before the match.
Recent encounters have also seen the superiority of Paris Saint-Germain, which eliminated Barcelona from the quarter-finals of the 2023-2024 edition, before winning 2-1 at the Spanish team's stadium in the league phase of the 2025-2026 edition, according to information in previous reports.
These results reflect the nature of the competition between the two teams, in light of the exchange of victories and the difficulty of predicting the path of the confrontation, which has often been decided by details in the final moments.
A new confrontation with renewed ambitions
Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain enter the match with the ambition of achieving a positive result that strengthens each team's position in the league phase, amid wide public interest in the confrontation that brings together two of the most prominent European clubs.
Between the memories of Barcelona's historic comeback and Paris Saint-Germain's decisive responses, the competition between the two teams is renewed in a new chapter of the Champions League, awaiting what the confrontation will result in light of the close results and the multiple scenarios that have characterized their previous meetings.
