Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona will be close to being sick of the sight of each other, but play against each other they must and that too in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, starting with the first leg at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.
These two sides have met plenty of times in the UCL in the recent past, and were part of the same group in the last stage as well. Those two matches went to the respective home side, and PSG manager Laurent Blanc admitted his side will look to the win picked up in Paris on Matchday 2 of the Champions League this season.
"Our first match of the season against Barcelona is a reference point for us," said the French manager. "We're one of few teams to have scored three goals against them. We had a great game – both teams did.
"We'll need to replicate that feat because we're facing one of the best teams in Europe. We need to avoid conceding; we know the importance of away goals."
However, Barcelona will not be too unhappy if the first leg ends the way that match did – 3-2 in PSG's favour – because that will mean two away goals. Having beaten PSG 3-1 in the home leg in the group stages, Barca will know any away goal will stand them in good stead heading into the quarterfinal second leg at the Camp Nou next week.
"We're both basically the same teams we were at the start of the season, we're only a bit older," said Barcelona manager Luis Enrique. "We had a good game in September, although we lost -- we had lots of chances. But we'll definitely need to improve defensively.
"We've grown accustomed to coming here. We've had the chance to come to Paris several times in recent years. They have a very good squad, and showed yet again their qualities by beating Chelsea."
While Enrique saying the difference between the two teams is that they are a bit older – as in better refined -- might be true in one aspect, what cannot be ignored is the absentees that PSG will have for this home tie against Barcelona.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic will not be there to score the goals, with the Swede serving a one-match suspension, while that midfield class will be lost in the absence of Marco Verratti. There will most probably be no David Luiz as well to give PSG that extra bit of passion.
PSG will also have to do without Thiago Motta and Serge Aurier, while Barcelona only have Dani Alves out through suspension, apart from their long-term absentee Thomas Vermaelen, making the away side the clear favourites.
"Paris have several major absentees, let's face it," added Enrique. "But let's not forget they won against us when Zlatan was out, and we won when we met and he played.
"So you never know how important the absentees will turn out to be."
Expected lineups: PSG: Sirigu; Van der Wiel, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva, Maxwell; Rabiot, Cabaye, Matuidi; Lavezzi, Cavani, Pastore.
Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Adriano, Pique, Mathieu, Alba; Rakitic, Mascherano, Iniesta; Suarez, Messi, Neymar.
Where to Watch Live
PSG vs Barcelona is set to begin at 8.45 pm CET (12.15 am IST, 7.45 pm BST, 2.45 pm ET) with live coverage in India on Ten Action and Ten HD. Viewers in India can also catch the match via live streaming online on Ten Sports Live.
Audience in the UK can watch the quarterfinal first leg Live on Sky Sports 1, with the live stream option on Sky Go. Catch the game live in the US on Fox Sports, while PSG vs Barca can also be live streamed on Fox Soccer 2 Go.
Viewers across the world can also watch the UCL knockout game via live streaming on UEFA Video.
