Paris Saint-Germain aims to turn around the 3-2 aggregate situation in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal tie against Barcelona. One issue that the capital club will need to fix is its defense, but it’ll get a boost with Achraf Hakimi returning to the starting 11.
In the first leg, PSG faced a significant setback with Hakimi’s suspension due to yellow card accumulation. This forced manager Luis Enrique to patchwork the defense, with Marquinhos playing right back and the young Lucas Beraldo, who had a tough game, playing central defense. These challenges underline the team’s resilience and the uphill battle they faced.
With an improved defense, Hakimi spoke to reporters on Monday during his press conference. The Morocco international noted how the capital club intends to defend against the Barcelona attack and avoid having another performance like they did in the first leg.
“Not only Raphinha, but Barcelona also has great players, so we’ll need to defend tightly, win duels to keep them uncomfortable with the ball, and control the game well,” Hakimi said (h/t Mundo Deportivo)
Furthermore, PSG manager Luis Enrique spoke with reporters and revealed what he feels is key for the team to do to advance past the La Liga team. Will the capital club succeed with their game plans? If they want to advance, then they better hope so.
