Barcelona president Joan Laporta wants PSG to overcome Real Madrid in UCL Round of 16 tie - Reports
Barcelona president Joan Laporta reportedly wants Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to beat Real Madrid in the Round of 16 of the Champions League. The Parisians are due to face the La Liga giants in the second leg of their Round of 16 clash on Wednesday night.
According to Spanish outlet MARCA, Laporta was overheard in an informal conversation stating that he prefers PSG to overcome Real Madrid. However, the Barcelona president does not want the Parisian giants to go all the way and claim the Champions League trophy this season.
Mauricio Pochettino's side come into the game at the Santiago Bernabeu on the back of a narrow 1-0 win in the first leg. Despite dominating the game at the Parc des Princes, they needed an injury-time winner from Kylian Mbappe to break the deadlock. Former Blaugrana superstar Lionel Messi also had his penalty saved by Thibaut Courtois on that occasion.
Real Madrid will have home advantage and have just one goal to overturn to level the tie. They are also the in-form team coming into the fixture after securing a routine 4-1 win over Real Sociedad in La Liga over the weekend.
Paris Saint-Germain, on the other hand, suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at the hands of OGC Nice in Ligue 1 on Saturday night.
In an informal chat, Laporta was heard saying he wants PSG to beat Madrid, but not to win the Champions League.
— @marca https://t.co/mvRn3niUkL
Barcelona, meanwhile, were knocked out of the Champions League in the group stages and are currently competing in the Europa League. The Catalan giants defeated Napoli in the first knockout round of the competition, securing a 5-3 aggregate win over the Serie A side.
Xavi Hernandez's side are now drawn against Turkish giants Galatasaray in the Round of 16 of the Europa League. The first leg of the tie will be played at the Nou Camp on 10 March.
PSG forward Lionel Messi returns to Real Madrid's home for the first time since leaving Barcelona
Lionel Messi will face Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu for the first time since his move to PSG from Barcelona in the summer of 2021. The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has had a great track record at Real Madrid's home ground.
Messi has played 19 times at the Santiago Bernabeu, registering 15 goals and eight assists across all competitions. This also included a hat-trick against Los Blancos during the 2013-14 season in a memorable 4-3 La Liga win for Barcelona.
PSG will be hoping for a similar impact from their superstar forward as they look to advance to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League.