The biggest game of the season is here as Barcelona and PSG lock horns in the UEFA Champions League on match day three of the competition tomorrow night.
Heading into the game, Barcelona are in a superior vein of form but also reeling from an unexpected set of defensive setbacks.
PSG, meanwhile, also enter with some casualties and freshly off a win over Manchester City.
Given that it is a group stage encounter, the stakes are not as high as a usual Champions League game between the two sides would feature.
Yet, there has been a certain degree of worry about the security of the game, for France has been reeling under riots in recent days.
The Ministry’s decision
PSG vs Barcelona will go ahead as planned. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
The ongoing riots in France are by no means ordinary, and the social tension has led to clashes between protesters and the police in numerous areas.
There has, in that sense, been a degree of worry about such a massive clash being played amidst such riots and whether there was a need to postpone the fixture.
In fact, a union representative of the French police has asked for the match between PSG and Barcelona to be postponed as well.
Now, however, the French minister of the interior, Laurent Nunez, has confirmed via SPORT that the game will go ahead as planned.
“The postponement for the match between Paris Saint-Germain and Barça is not considered for other matches that can be played in the Champions League. The games are not in doubt.”
A dilemma for Flick
Flick has some big decisions to take. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)
Barcelona had an almost fully fit squad ahead of their game against Real Betis, but the clash at the weekend left the team reeling with defensive setbacks.
Eric Garcia and Jules Kounde are both injured, while Gerard Martin is also suffering from a niggle as matters stand. With PSG and Real Madrid coming up, the setbacks could not have come at a worse time.
The big question for Flick, in that sense, is how to manage the defensive situation and how much to risk at this point in the season.
Playing against PSG and winning, needless to say, would be a massive confidence boost for Barcelona.
The game against Real Madrid, however, is a far more important one to win from a long-term perspective. Flick must thus weigh the positives and the negatives before taking a binding decision.