Steve Nicol expresses Kylian Mbappe concern as he picks winner of PSG vs Barcelona Champions League tie
Football pundit Steve Nicol believes Barcelona will defeat Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in their upcoming Champions League quarterfinal tie if Kylian Mbappe does not turn up. The pundit thinks the Ligue 1 side depend a lot on the Frenchman, which could play against them.
Speaking on ESPN, Nicol noted that Barcelona have improved lately and are favorites to win the game. He added that the French side would struggle if they did not manage to get Mbapope involved. He said:
"I think they [Barcelona] will get [a win] in Spain [in the second leg and knock PSG out of the Champions League]. I find it difficult to get past the fact that it's really all about Mbappe. He is good, [only] if he is on his game. The problem is PSG historically in this competition have just bottled it and it's hard to imagine, I was going to say unless they they get a 3 or 4-0 lead, but they've bottled that as well [in the past].
"I can't get past the fact that if Mbappe doesn't turn up, this team has got no chance. Barcelona are way better now than they've been all season. I don't see PSG getting through."
PSG knocked out Barcelona when the two sides last met in the UEFA Champions League in the Round of 16 of the 2020-21 season. They won 4-1 at Camp Nou and followed it up with a 1-1 at Parc des Princes.
Former PSG coach tells Barcelona how to stop Kylian Mbappe
Former PSG coach Luis Fernandez has urged Barcelona to stick to basics to keep Kylian Mbappe quiet. He added that Xavi should look at how teams stopped Zinedine Zidane and Michel Platini in the past and told SPORT:
"Can Mbappé be stopped? All players can be stopped. I have played with soccer players like Zidane and Platini who were very big and stopped them. They didn't make a difference in all the matches. There is a game reading that is done, when you play against these footballers, the rival coach always has a plan to stop him And if everyone does things right, these types of players can be stopped."
Kylian Mbappe has played Barcelona twice and scored four goals, winning and drawing once each when the two sides met in 2021.