5 things Barcelona have to do to beat Paris Saint-Germain

Modified Mar 08, 2017 17:05 GMT

BARCELONA, SPAIN - MARCH 04: Lionel Messi (R) of FC Barcelona celebrates with his teammates Neymar Santos Jr (C) and Luis Suarez (L) after scoring his team's fifth goal during the La Liga match between FC Barcelona and RC Celta de Vigo at Camp Nou stadium on March 4, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images) — Can they do the impossible?

#4 Keep Verratti marked

FLORENCE, ITALY - NOVEMBER 10: Marco Verratti of Italy speaks to the media during a press conference at the club's training ground at Coverciano on November 10, 2016 in Florence, Italy. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images) — PSG’s main man

"There are very few players who know what to do when they’re not marked. So sometimes you tell a player: that attacker is very good, but don’t mark him." - Johan Cruyff

Marco Verratti dominated the midfield in the first leg and played the more vital role in Paris Saint-Germain's historic 4-0 win at Parc des Princes. The Italian was given a lot of space, and he made every inch of it count.

With a pass success of 92% in the reverse fixture, the 24-year-old midfielder ensured that the centre of the pitch was all PSG's. He even managed to grab an assist.

Keeping Busquets or Rakitic on the toes of the Italian all the time is essential. Cramping him for space and ensuring that he's not able to make those crucial passes to Rabiot or Matuidi is going to win the midfield for Barcelona.

Edited by Staff Editor