PSG’s 4-2 win over Barcelona in the Champions League moved them clear in the head-to-head, six days after beating Premier League leaders Manchester City.
Paris Saint-Germain’s win against Barca on Tuesday night was their third in a row against the Catalan club, and it moved them two wins ahead in the sides’ UEFA Champions League head-to-head.
The defending champions have now won seven of the 16 meetings between the clubs in the competition, Barcelona have won five and four have been drawn. PSG lead 33-30 on goals.
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Paris vs Barcelona, always blockbuster 🍿
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— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) October 20, 2026
The big nights
The rivalry has swung back and forth since the sides first met in the 1994-95 quarter-finals. PSG won that tie, drawing 1-1 at the Camp Nou and winning 2-1 in Paris.
Barcelona then won the next three knockout ties: on away goals in the 2012-13 quarter-finals, 5-1 on aggregate in the 2014-15 quarter-finals, and with the famous 6-1 comeback in 2016-17, after losing the first leg 4-0 in Paris.
PSG have had the upper hand since. Kylian Mbappé scored a hat-trick in a 4-1 win at the Camp Nou in the 2020-21 last 16, and in 2024 PSG overturned a 3-2 home defeat in the quarter-final first leg with a 4-1 win in Barcelona. That leaves the knockout ties level at three each.
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Goals guaranteed
This fixture rarely disappoints. The 16 meetings have produced 63 goals, an average of almost four a game.
Tuesday’s game followed the pattern. Désiré Doué gave PSG a first-half lead, and Xavi Espart and Lamine Yamal twice brought Barcelona level, but Lucas Hernández, Vitinha and Fabián Ruiz scored for PSG.
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Beating the best
The result means more because of who PSG have beaten in the past week. Barcelona came to Paris top of La Liga, having won all 11 of their games this season and scored 48 goals. This was their first defeat of the campaign.
Six days earlier, PSG won 4-2 at Manchester City, who lead the Premier League with a perfect record. In the space of a week, the holders have beaten the leaders in both Spain and England by the same score, and they have won all three of their Champions League games so far.
Photo: Xavier Laine/Getty Images
