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Barcelona’s Spanish defender #12 Xavi Espart celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal during the UEFA Champions League first round day 3 football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and FC Barcelona at the Parc de Princes stadium in Paris on October 20, 2026. (Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP via Getty Images)
Jason Pettigrove Jason Pettigrove has been the writer-at-large for Barca Blaugranes for many years. He has previously worked for FC Barcelona, beIN Sports and many other news and media outlets, both in print and digital. When not working, he’ll be found in front of the TV watching Barça.
The tie of the Champions League so far this season took place at the Parc des Princes, with Barca looking to gain some sort of revenge for their recent UCL defeats to Paris Saint-Germain. Let’s look at three talking points from the game…
Sensational showing from Joan Garcia
PARIS, FRANCE - OCTOBER 20: Joan Garcia of FC Barcelona saves a shoot of Ferran Torres of Paris Saint-Germain during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD3 match between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona at Parc des Princes on October 20, 2026 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pedro Salado/Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE - OCTOBER 20: Joan Garcia of FC Barcelona saves a shoot of Ferran Torres of Paris Saint-Germain during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD3 match between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona at Parc des Princes on October 20, 2026 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pedro Salado/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Culers already know what to expect when Joan Garcia pulls on the Barcelona goalkeeper’s shirt, but that shouldn’t take away from the standard of any of his performances.
He still has to go out and prove his worth, and against European football’s best club side of the past couple of years, he did just that.
The custodian could do nothing about any of PSG’s goals, but his saves from the likes of Ferran Torres, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Fabian Ruiz deserved to be immortalised in the Louvre, just up the road from the Parc des Princes.
Exposed time and again by a defence that was all over the place at times, Garcia stood tall when he needed to, making 10 saves, in what was arguably a man-of-the-match showing from the 25-year-old.
Nothing fazes Xavi Espart
PARIS, FRANCE - OCTOBER 20: Xavi Espart of FC Barcelona celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD3 match between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona at Parc des Princes on October 20, 2026 in Paris, France. (Photo by David Ramos - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE - OCTOBER 20: Xavi Espart of FC Barcelona celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD3 match between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona at Parc des Princes on October 20, 2026 in Paris, France. (Photo by David Ramos - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
UEFA via Getty Images
Xavi Espart was handed the right-back spot with both Jules Kounde and Eric Garcia out injured and looked completely at home on the biggest stage of all.
The youngster has been a revelation this season and did not disappoint once again despite finding himself up against one of the deadliest attacks in Europe.
Espart also managed to score his first ever Champions League goal to make it a memorable evening for the youngster in the French capital.
He’s now the youngest player in the Champions League era to score for Barcelona, and his strike was certainly expertly taken.
Should Rodri have started for Barcelona?
PARIS, FRANCE - OCTOBER 20: Rodri of FC Barcelona and Ferran Torres of Paris Saint-Germain talk before the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD3 match between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona at Parc des Princes on October 20, 2026 in Paris, France. (Photo by David Ramos - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE - OCTOBER 20: Rodri of FC Barcelona and Ferran Torres of Paris Saint-Germain talk before the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD3 match between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona at Parc des Princes on October 20, 2026 in Paris, France. (Photo by David Ramos - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
UEFA via Getty Images
This actually wasn’t anywhere close to being a bad performance overall from the Blaugranes, even if you could pick apart certain aspects of play that didn’t really work during certain parts of the match.
The most glaring and obvious was that there wasn’t as much midfield control in the first hour with Rodri stuck on the subs bench.
Time and again, PSG mopped up loose balls in that part of the pitch, and often scythed through the central areas against a lethargic-looking pairing of Marc Bernal and Pedri.
Such speed and endeavour from the hosts was always going to be tough to play against, as Manchester City found out a week ago, and many others have during the course of the 2026/27 campaign.
With Rodri also not being the most mobile of central midfielders, too, and with El Clasico looming, that’s bound to have played a part in Hansi Flick’s thinking.
However, the squad has to be able to cope when the Spanish World Cup-winning captain isn’t involved, and they didn’t really do that for large parts of the first hour.
That evident loss of midfield control could also go some way to explaining why the likes of Lamine Yamal and Anthony Gordon often weren’t able to stretch the play as much as they might like during that period.
Did Flick make the right call?
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