PSG v Barcelona preview: holders host Raphinha's Barça on 20 October

📰 PSG host Barcelona at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday 20 October in matchday three of the Champions League league phase. 📌 Key points 🗓️ Kick-off is 9pm local time on Tuesday 20 October in Paris. 🏆 PSG won a fifth straight Ligue 1 title last season, their 14th. 📉 They were only sixth in Ligue 1, on eight points, before the break. ⚽ Raphinha leads LaLiga's scoring chart with 12 goals. 🏅 He has been LaLiga Player of the Month for both August and September. 📝 What happened 🔴 PSG opened the league phase by beating Slovan Bratislava 6-1. They visit Manchester City on 14 October and host Barcelona six days later — a demanding double-header. 🇫🇷 Domestically it has been slower. Wikipedia's table had PSG sixth on eight points from five games, with Monaco top on 13, although Luis Enrique's side did beat Marseille 2-1 in Le Classique before the break. 🔵 Barcelona are unbeaten and top of LaLiga. Raphinha scored seven and set up two in four September games, including back-to-back hat-tricks against Racing and Sevilla, and sits five clear of Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé on seven. 🏅 September's award was his third Player of the Month prize; Hansi Flick was named Coach of the Month. 📊 By the numbers • PSG matchday one: 6-1 win over Slovan Bratislava • Raphinha this LaLiga season: 12 goals, 3 assists • Raphinha in September: 7 goals, 2 assists in four games • PSG in Ligue 1: 8 points from five games (sixth) 👀 What to watch ⚡ Raphinha v the PSG back line — stopping the league's top scorer, and Barça's captain, is the first task. 🗓️ The City hangover — PSG play this six days after a trip to the Etihad, so rotation and fitness matter. 🔁 Two faces of PSG — sluggish in Ligue 1, ruthless on their European opener. Which side turns up? 🧩 Top-eight race — only the top eight go straight to the last 16, so this result shapes the table early. 🔭 Why it matters Both sides are among the favourites, so this is a real marker for the league phase. PSG then travel to Villarreal on 3 November.