Barcelona Suffer Unexpected Setback Ahead of Huge PSG Champions League Clash
The last thing Barcelona needed before their clash with Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday was a disruption to their training schedule, but that's exactly what Hansi Flick's men got thanks to storms along the Catalan coast. The defending Spanish champions were all set to leave Seville on Saturday evening after their thumping5-2 victory over Real Betiswhen the weather played spoiler.
The team's flight back to Barcelona was delayed until the early hours of the morning before the victors were forced to de-plane and return to the hotel for an unexpected extra night away from home. According to Mundo Deportivo, the club even considered flying straight to Paris instead of trying to get back to Catalonia, but the decision was ultimately taken to fly home on Sunday afternoon.
The change of plans forced Flick to alter his preparations for the marquee Champions League clash hurlting over the horizon. The report claims the German boss had to cancel his full training session for Sunday and instead settle for an indoor light recovery session.
The team will not train on the pitch, a massive setback considering its upcoming opponents. PSG Now Have an Even Bigger Advantage Over Barça PSG can rest their starters every weekend.
Not only do PSG get to host Barcelona at the Parc des Princes, but they also come into the match with their superstars well rested. As has become the norm in Paris, Luis Enrique started a wildly changed XI for the team's Ligue 1 clash with Strasbourg this weekend.
Ousmane Dembélé, Vitinha, Désiré Doué, Achraf Hakimi, Nuno Mendes, Fabián Ruiz and Willian Pacho all started the game on the bench The same group, minus Hakimi, was also kept out of Enrique's XI last weekend against Le Mans ahead of the club's Champions League clash with Manchester City, a game theywon 4-2 at the Etihad Stadium. Enrique has the luxury of managing his best players in a way many managers throughout Europe could only dream of.
The best Flick could do was take out his most important stars, like Lamine Yamal and Fermín Lopez, in the second half against Real Betis. Still, a slew of Barcelona players logged the full 90 minutes, including Pedri, Rodri and Pau Cubarsí.
On top of that, the Catalans now must deal with a nightmare travel scenario, disrupted rest and missing out on a full training session in the build-up to their clash with the back-to-back Champions League winners. Barcelona Hoping for Champions League Redemption Barcelona couldn't get past PSG last season.
The Catalans have not made a Champions League final since 2015, let alone lifted the title. The team has never had a better chance to get over the line in Europe than in 2026-27.