Di Maria: PSG can compete on Barcelona's level

Agence France-Presse

54m ago

REGIS DUVIGNAU / Reuters

Madrid – Paris Saint-Germain should have no fear of another Champions League clash with Barcelona despite a poor record against the Spanish champions ahead of its last-16 meeting Tuesday, insists winger Angel Di Maria.

Barca has held the upper hand in six previous meetings over the past five seasons, losing just once and progressing to the semi-finals from its two quarterfinal clashes in 2013 and 2015.

However, ahead of Barca’s latest trip to the French capital, Di Maria, who experienced plenty of El Clasico highs and lows against the Catalans in four seasons with Real Madrid, believes PSG now has the quality to compete with the Spanish giants for a first ever European crown.

“PSG have players of enormous quality. People like Marco Verratti, who is wanted by Real Madrid and Barcelona, give the team something extra,” Di Maria told Madrid sports daily Marca on Friday.

“When he isn’t there, the team feels (his absence). I think that PSG can easily compete with Madrid or Barcelona.”

However, to make the last eight, PSG faces the daunting task of restricting Barca’s fearsome ‘MSN’ front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar.

Suarez and Neymar did the damage in the last tie between the sides, scoring all five of Barca’s goals in a 5-1 aggregate rout, but it is his Argentine international teammate Di Maria fears most.

“Barca have great players. The MSN is the best attack right now,” he added.

“Leo is different from the rest.

“I think to stop him it requires the whole team because when he doesn’t do something magical he leaves a teammate free.”