In the opening leg of the Champions League quarterfinals, Barcelona is preparing to play Ligue 1 champions PSG at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday night. The defending LaLiga winners are the favourites in this matchup.
They are the favourites even though they probably won’t have Pedri or Frenkie de Jong available, which means they won’t be able to control the PSG midfield as much.
Nevertheless, Barcelona still has their best midfield player for the 2023–2024 campaign available in Ilkay Gundogan, who has shown to be a great free agency acquisition for the Blaugrana by playing in every game that is feasible.
Diario Sport reports that Barcelona manager Xavi intends to deploy Ilkay Gundogan in an advanced offensive position in order to start the game on the front foot despite being on the road.
As an aggressive midfielder next to Kevin De Bruyne in the Champions League knockout stages of the previous campaign, Gundogan thrived, striking the ideal balance between setting the pace and collecting the ball and creating offensive opportunities.
One of the finest midfielders of his generation, Gundogan is capable of playing any role that involves creating plays, as seen by his success in Barcelona’s unique atmosphere.
Gundogan has demonstrated his capacity to affect the outcome with five goals and six assists in La Liga this season. So, in the quarterfinal matchup with PSG, Barcelona’s biggest X-Factor may be the current Champions League champion.
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