Stranded in Seville by bad weather, Barcelona arrive disrupted in Paris to face PSG

FC Barcelona approach their trip to Parc des Princes on Tuesday evening in the Champions League with seriously compromised preparation. After their victory on Betis Seville’s pitch (2-5) on Saturday, Hansi Flick’s players were forced to spend the night in Andalusia, stranded by weather conditions that made any flight to Catalonia impossible.

Long hours of waiting at the airport, time spent on the plane unable to take off: the Barcelona staff ultimately gave up on returning to Barcelona overnight, also ruling out the option of a direct flight to Paris. The return to Catalonia only took place on Sunday, after a shortened night, which forced the squad to cancel its morning training session, replaced by simple recovery work.

This episode adds to already confirmed absences for this 3rd league phase match. Defenders Eric Garcia and Jules Koundé will not make the trip to the French capital. PSG, for their part, will also have to manage without Nuno Mendes and probably without Maghnes Akliouche.

Despite this turbulent context, Barcelona remain unbeaten in La Liga with nine victories in as many matches. But in such a dense schedule, a sleepless night and truncated preparation constitute a real handicap on the eve of a European clash.