Barcelona analysis after Champions League draw: A tough PSG trip and Man City at home

Barcelona will face a tricky trip to Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain and a tough home match against Manchester City in the competition’s league phase this season.

The Spanish league champions were also drawn to play home matches against Aston Villa, Feyenoord and Como, who are managed by former Barca midfielder Cesc Fabregas. They will also travel to Sporting CP, Galatasaray and Sabah FK from Azerbaijan.

Hansi Flick’s side made the semi-finals in 2024-25 and the quarter-finals last term in search of a first Champions League trophy since 2015. Can they finally go all the way?

Laia Cervelló Herrero analyses Barca’s draw.

Who are Barcelona’s opponents?

Dates and times of matches to be confirmed by UEFA. 

Which game most excites you?

Facing PSG in the league phase for a second season in a row might seem boring, but they’re the opponents I find most interesting. They provide a real test at a stage when there’s room for improvement. Finding yourself in such a scenario at the start of the competition, with such a young squad, is something I believe benefits Barca and will helpsthem grow.

If you win, it gives a confidence boost. If you lose, it provides you with a lesson and tools to improve.

The match will be a good litmus test to see where Flick’s side stands in their third season. The team’s aim is to take that decisive step forward in Europe, and I can’t think of a more challenging task than doing so against the reigning champions on their turf.

Which game worries you?

Travelling to play Sabah in Azerbaijan from Barcelona is not especially appealing — and it would be particularly difficult in wintry conditions. Flick isn’t keen on long-haul trips. This year he’d managed to avoid a pre-season tour, but fate has meant he will have to make two long journeys (Galatasaray in Istanbul being the other) in the Champions League.

Barcelona skipped a pre-season tour this season and held a training camp at St George’s Park instead (Jose Jordan/AFP via Getty Images)

There’s also a risk Barca’s players might lack concentration, while Sabah will be extra motivated to face one of the world’s biggest clubs at home. Between the five-and-a-half-hour flight and the fact that they look like a tough opponent, I see this as the classic ‘trap’ match that will make life tough for the Catalans.

What is Flick’s biggest issue to confront in the tournament?

Being competitive without a specialist centre-forward, because it seems that, with Julian Alvarez very likely not joining, they won’t be signing anyone to replace Robert Lewandowski or Ferran Torres. For the time being, they’re banking on Raphinha or Anthony Gordon up front. I think that might work for them in La Liga, but at European level I have my doubts.

Which team do Barcelona most want to avoid in the latter stages?

Luis Enrique’s PSG. They have shown in recent seasons that they are a team that causes Barcelona real problems, and Luis Enrique knows Barcelona very well. They are coming off the back of winning two Champions League titles, and to me they seem the most obvious answer to the question — even if Barca will meet them already in the league phase.

That said, I’d also add Atletico Madrid to this list. Last season, they proved to be a very tough opponent and the two quarter-final legs really took their toll. Furthermore, the tension over Barca’s pursuit of Alvarez this summer would raise the stakes even higher.

What would be considered a successful finish?

Barcelona have made it abundantly clear that their objective is to win the Champions League. Anything other than winning it or maybe reaching the final would feel like a miss.

Two seasons ago they reached the semi-finals, and having come so close to reaching a final means that not even the last four is enough for them now. The problem, as with everything in life, lies in expectations.

Prediction time… how far will Barcelona get?

I can see the team is so committed to the Champions League that I reckon they’ll reach at least the semi-finals. It’s still early days, and perhaps this is the sort of comment where I’ll end up having to eat my words (especially if they can’t find a solution in attack), but while riding the wave of new season optimism I will say Barcelona can do well. Only time will tell…