FC Barcelona vice president Rafa Yuste expressed confidence in being able to beat Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarterfinals after the two European giants were drawn against one another on Friday.
The fixture is a repeat of the last time Barca reached the knockout phase. In the 2020/2021 last 16, PSG thrashed Barca 4-1 in a Camp Nou first leg and then drew the return meeting 1-1 at the Parc des Princes.
The 2023/2024 quarterfinals will be played in a different order, with PSG hosting the Catalans on April 9 or 10 ahead of a decisive showdown at the Montjuic Stadium on April 16 or 17.
Facing PSG is a daunting task for most sides given that it boasts Kylian Mbappe. To Movistar after the draw was made, however, Yuste reminded us of how Barca also has its own ace capable of dominating the proceedings.
“We have Lamine Yamal,” Yuste said, with MARCA reporting that PSG is ready to offer Barca $218 million for the 16-year-old as a replacement for an Mbappe expected to join Real Madrid this summer.
Yuste also pointed out that the Blaugrana has a “huge squad and a manager who has faith” in Xavi Hernandez.
“It’s going to be a very nice tie. They have a great coach,” Yuste said in referring to Luis Enrique, the mastermind behind Barca’s previous continental triumph in 2014/2015 when Xavi was captain.
Mundo Deportivo reported that Barca wanted to avoid Manchester City, who will meet Real Madrid in the last eight and then the winner of Arsenal versus Bayern Munich.
Yuste confirmed this was true, but not for the reasons MD explained centering around a fear of the English club’s endless “gunpowder” and the fact it is led by ex-Barca boss Pep Guardiola.
“We did not want Manchester City, and neither did they want us. We have been talking about it with (former Barca player and City technical secretary) Txiki (Begiristain), because of an emotional issue.”
“You have to have respect for all your rivals, because these are the eight best teams in Europe. We have to follow the path of the night against Napoli,” Yuste demanded, in a nod to this week’s 3-1 last 16 win over the Italians which secured a 4-2 aggregate victory.
Should Barca beat PSG, it will then clash with Atletico Madrid or Borussia Dortmund in the quarterfinals where a triumph could be worth a huge cash windfall if Diego Simeone’s progress.
If Barca wins against PSG and Atletico is knocked out by the Bundesliga outfit, however, Barca will still be set to pocket $54 million according to Mundo Deportivo because of the guarantee of the last vacant Spanish spot in next year’s FIFA Club World Cup.
Real Madrid has already booked its place thanks to winning the UCL in 2021/2022, but Barca needs to go further than Atleti in this edition of the tournament to join Los Blancos.
