Why Raphinha is likely to start for Barcelona over Joao Felix in PSG return clash

Come tomorrow night, FC Barcelona will play one of their most important fixtures of the ongoing season as they host PSG in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinals.

The Blaugrana hold a slight advantage going into the second leg after having beaten Les Parisiens 3-2 away from home last week.

But the job is far from done and PSG will not make things easy for the reigning La Liga champions come Tuesday.

Having given a rest to most of his regular starters this past weekend, Xavi already has a clear picture of what his starting XI would look like, barring a couple of doubts.

One of those doubts is whether to start Joao Felix or Raphinha on the left flank. The Brazilian was given a break against Cadiz, as he made way for Felix, who capitalised on his chance and emerged as the match-winner.

Raphinha likely to start

Joao Felix put in a fine performance against Cadiz on Saturday night, capped off by a stunning goal which proved to be the match-winner on the night.

The Portuguese international has put his hands up and come up clutch in times of need for Barcelona on many occasions now.

Despite that, though, on Tuesday night, it is Raphinha who is likely to start against PSG on the left flank for the Blaugrana.

Raphinha scored a brace against PSG last week. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

The 27-year-old enjoyed a dream game in the first leg in Paris, scoring a brace and generally impacting the match in a huge way, which in itself warrants him a start.

On top of that, another major reason for Raphinha being in a better position to start on the left, ahead of Joao Felix, is his defensive work rate.

PSG will be bolstered by the return of Achraf Hakimi on Tuesday after the Moroccan right-back missed the last game through suspension.

Given his attacking nature and the threat that he poses going forward on the right side, the danger of Hakimi and Ousmane Dembele doubling up on Joao Cancelo becomes very much real.

As such, Barcelona would stand to benefit from having a hard-working winger like Raphinha, who is not shy of tracking back and putting in a shift off the ball.