Barcelona's position at the top of LaLiga has never looked stronger on paper, yet the week following their 5-2 demolition of Real Betis at La Cartuja has been defined as much by injury concern as by on-pitch brilliance. The win, their ninth from nine in the league, extended a flawless domestic record and drew a remarkable claim from Hansi Flick, who declared Lamine Yamal the best player in the world after the teenager opened the scoring. Rodri also got off the mark for the club, though he used his post-match platform to warn that defensive vulnerabilities must be addressed.

That warning has since taken on greater urgency. Eric Garcia has been ruled out of the Champions League trip to Paris and the subsequent El Clasico against Real Madrid, while Jules Kounde is a major doubt for the Bernabeu fixture. Flick has acknowledged the crisis publicly and is considering deploying midfielders in central defence against PSG, a solution that underlines how stretched his backline has become.

The backdrop to Tuesday's game at the Parc des Princes grew more chaotic when thick fog delayed the squad's flight to Paris, disrupting pre-match preparations. PSG, meanwhile, confirmed that Nuno Mendes will miss the fixture through injury, offering Barcelona a small boost on the left flank. With 27 points from nine games and confidence running high across the squad, the Catalan side arrive as genuine contenders, though Flick must solve his defensive puzzle before kick-off.