UEFA Champions League: Barcelona vs PSG - Betting Tips, Odds & Prediction

Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain visit five-time titlists Barcelona on Thursday in a much-anticipated UEFA Champions League group stage clash. The best online betting sites have rolled out their odds and markets for this battle, but make sure to go through our preview to find the most logical, profitable betting opportunities.

Both teams have made winning starts to their campaigns and they head into this clash as the table-toppers in their respective leagues as well.

So, read on to find out what to expect from this clash of titans at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Thursday morning NZ time.

Barcelona

Betting apps in NZ consider Barcelona one of the lead title contenders in Europe this season. The Catalonians are playing in their 30th UCL campaign this season, and only their arch-rivals Real Madrid have played in as many editions of the tournament.

Barcelona will look to extend their unbeaten start to the season to nine games. So far, they have picked up seven wins and a draw in eight outings across all competitions. Hansi Flick’s side have won five on the bounce, including their comeback win over Real Sociedad last weekend. A victory against the Parisians will stretch their winning run to six.

Team News: Raphinha, Gavi, Fermin Lopez, and Marc-Andre ter Stegen have been ruled out because of injuries.

Predicted Lineup: Szczesny; Kounde, E Garcia, Araujo, Martin; De Jong, Casado; F Torres, Olmo, Rashford; Lewandowski.

PSG

Six victories from seven games set PSG up nicely ahead of Wednesday’s clash with Luis Enrique’s old club. But after falling 1-0 at Marseille, the French giants face the possibility of consecutive defeats on the road.

PSG appeared to pick up where they had left off last season when they dismantled Atalanta 4-0 at home in their Champions League opener. But an away trip against Flick’s free-flowing Barcelona could be a different challenge altogether.

Top betting apps like Bet365 have assigned longer odds for PSG in this match, but the treble winners are no strangers to winning matches under the most difficult circumstances.

Team News: Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele will be one of the high-profile absentees Enrique will have to make do without at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.

Predicted Lineup: Chevalier; Hakimi, Zabarnyi, Beraldo, Hernandez; Zaire-Emery, Vitinha, Ruiz, Mendes; Ramos, Kvaratskhelia.

• PSG and Barcelona each have won twice in the last five meetings between these two sides.
• The last five PSG vs Barcelona matches have seen 24 goals.
• Both teams have scored in each of the last five Barcelona vs PSG matches.

Both teams have been hit with severe injury issues heading into this clash. Barcelona will be without their explosive forward Raphinha, while his PSG counterpart Dembele will also sit this one out.

This should be a well-fought and entertaining affair nonetheless. Barcelona have assembled a squad of young, exciting talent, while PSG also have incredible depth in their armoury.

Flick and Enrique have similar managerial philosophies, but Enrique is comparatively pragmatic. While Flick’s Barcelona barely take the foot of the pedal, Enrique’s PSG have shown more patience and maturity in managing games at times.

All that said, we believe Barcelona will be too strong to beat at home even for PSG, and their injury setbacks will prove costly on Thursday.

Robert Lewandowski to Score in Both Halves @ $9.00

Robert Lewandowski has played 90 minutes on only two occasions this season, but he doesn’t seem out of form at all. The veteran striker has already scored four goals this season and also hit the target against Sociedad last weekend. While PSG have been defensively solid this season, the absence of Marquinhos could be a big miss for them. We expect Lewandowski to score in both halves, with Bet365 offering an attractive return on this outcome.