Who: Barcelona vs Paris Saint-Germain
What: League phase, UEFA Champions League
Where: Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, in Barcelona, Spain
When: Wednesday, October 1, at 9pm (19:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 16:00 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.

Two of Europe’s super teams will clash in the opening leg of a Matchday 2 UEFA Champions League (UCL) fixture when defending title holders Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) travel to the Olympic Stadium to play five-time winners Barcelona on Wednesday.

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Both sides have begun the new season strong: PSG started their title defence with a dominant 4-0 victory over Italian side Atalanta, while Barca outclassed Newcastle United 2-1 in their opening league phase fixture.

Here is all to know before the biggest match to date in the 2025-26 Champions League:

Barcelona’s recent form

The Catalan side secured a 2-1 comeback win over Real Sociedad on Sunday that sent them top of the La Liga standings after they turned the match around with goals from Jules Kounde and Robert Lewandowski on either side of halftime.

Barcelona’s sixth win in seven matches moved the reigning champions to 19 points – one point above archrivals Real Madrid.

“It was a team victory. They knew how to play and it was hard work, but we deserved it,” said Barcelona coach Hansi Flick.

Barcelona also finished the 2024-25 season undefeated at home in Champions League fixtures.

PSG’s recent form

PSG are level with Lyon on 15 points at the top of Ligue 1 in France.

Their only defeat this season was a 1-0 loss to Marseille on September 22, with Nayef Aguerd’s early header proving decisive in his side’s first home league win over PSG since 2011.

PSG’s early-season injury woes

The start of PSG’s new European campaign has been hampered by injuries, headlined by superstar striker – and 2025 Ballon d’Or winner – Ousmane Dembele, who is out until mid-October with a right hamstring strain.

Supremely talented attacking player Desire Doue is also sidelined until at least early October with a right calf strain, as is fellow winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who was injured last weekend in their 2-0 win over Auxerre, further decimating the PSG front line.

What happened the last time Barcelona played PSG?

The sides last met on April 16, 2024, when PSG produced a stunning comeback to beat Barcelona 4-1 away in the second leg of their Champions League quarterfinal, sealing a place in the last four of the 2023-24 tournament with a 6-4 aggregate victory.

Raphinha gave Barcelona the lead in the deciding match, but they had Ronald Araujo sent off before goals by Ousmane Dembele, Vitinha and a Kylian Mbappe brace – in one of the Frenchman’s last appearances for the club – took PSG through to a semifinal against Borussia Dortmund.

How many titles did PSG win in the 2024-25 season?

The Paris club won four major trophies to cement the most successful season in the team’s 55-year history: Ligue 1, Coupe de France, Trophee des Champions and the UEFA Champions League.

They also finished runner-up to Chelsea in the FIFA Club World Cup in June.

Barcelona team news

Raphinha is the biggest name missing from Flick’s home side; the Brazilian winger is out of the PSG match with a hamstring injury.

Also out are Joan Garcia (knee), Gavi (knee), Fermin Lopez (back) and first-choice goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen (back).

Wojciech Szczesny will stand in for ter Stegen in the starting XI, with Gerald Martin the most likely candidate to fill in for Garcia in the back line.

In a huge bonus for the Catalan side, star winger Lamine Yamal is expected to return to the starting XI for the first time since being sidelined for four matches with a groin injury. He came on as a substitute in the team’s victory over Real Sociedad on Sunday.

PSG team news

Coach Luis Enrique will have little in the way of offensive options, with talisman forward Dembele and wing scoring threat Doue on the sidelines with injury since early September.

With Kvaratskhelia also unable to play, the scoring load will shift onto French international Bradley Barcola, who will lead the line against Barca.

Brazilian centre-back Marquinhos will also miss the match with a left thigh issue.

In some good news for Enrique, he was able to announce on Tuesday that previously injured Portugal midfielders Vitinha, who was third in the Ballon d’Or earlier this month, and Joao Neves made the squad.

Barcelona’s predicted starting lineup

Szczesny (goalkeeper); Kounde, Cubarsi, Araujo, Martin; Pedri, De Jong; Yamal, Olmo, Rashford; Lewandowski

PSG predicted starting lineup

Chevalier (goalkeeper); Hakimi, Zabarnyi, Pacho, Mendes; Lee, Vitinha, Zaire-Emery; Mbaye, Ramos, Barcola

Head-to-head:

• Total matches – 13
• Barcelona wins – 5
• PSG wins – 4
• Draws – 4

Last five matches:

• Barcelona: W-W-W-W-W (All competitions, most recent result last)
• PSG: W-W-W-L-W

What the coaches had to say:

Enrique (PSG): “Watching a game between Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain with five or six important players [from both teams] not playing … to me it’s a shame, for the manager, [Hans] Flick, and for fans of both teams,” Enrique said.

Flick (Barcelona): “I think [the amount of injuries] is not normal for us, but some injuries just happen … We are having a look to see what we can do better; we will analyse everything and every training and we’ll see what [will] happen and if we have to adapt.”

What is the league phase of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League?

Now entering its second season, the expanded league phase features 36 teams all placed in a single big-league table. It replaced the old group phase, which had clubs drawn into smaller cohorts.

In the league phase, each team plays eight matches against opponents from other nations to determine the overall league standings.

The 24 highest-ranked teams proceed to the knockout phase of the tournament after Matchday 8: The top eight clubs proceed directly to the round of 16; and the clubs ranked between ninth and 24th enter a two-legged playoff to reach the knockout phase. The bottom 12 clubs are eliminated from the tournament.

2025-26 UEFA Champions League: When are the league-phase matches?

• Matchday 1: September 16-18, 2025
• Matchday 2: September 30-October 1, 2025
• Matchday 3: October 21-22, 2025
• Matchday 4: November 4-5, 2025
• Matchday 5: November 25-26, 2025
• Matchday 6: December 9-10, 2025
• Matchday 7: January 20-21, 2026
• Matchday 8: January 28, 2026

Where is the 2025-26 Champions League final being held?

The UEFA Champions League final will take place at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary on May 30.