Barcelona president Joan Laporta has insisted that he wouldn’t swap one of Paris Saint-Germain’s players for his own.
♦ Laporta backing Barca to beat PSG
♦ Two sides meet in Champions League quarter-final
♦ Kylian Mbappe expected to start for Parisians
WHAT HAPPENED?
Barca’s outspoken president gave an impassioned speech prior to his side’s Champions League quarter-final with PSG, in which he insisted that his side – considered underdogs for the tie – could get a result in Paris. The Blaugrana, he claimed, have a better squad than the Parisians.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Laporta’s statement notably avoided mention of Kylian Mbappe. The winger is set to join Barca’s arch-rivals Real Madrid this summer, and looks to be the Parisians’ most apparent threat when the two sides meet. He should also be fresh after playing just 24 minutes of PSG’s 1-1 draw with Clermont Foot at the weekend.
WHAT JOAN LAPORTA SAID
In a statement for his club’s Twitter channel, Laporta rallied his Barca side: “I am prepared, fully prepared. I see the players very motivated and this motivates me. The message for our fans is to believe in our players and our coach. We have a great team. We are very focused and it is very important that they know I wouldn’t change any of our players for one from PSG.”
WHAT NEXT FOR BARCELONA?
The Blaugrana face PSG this evening, and then have La Liga action to worry about this weekend. Xavi’s side face Cadiz on Saturday, where they will look to keep their slim hopes of domestic success alive.