UCL Odds: Barca, PSG Meet in Round of 16

PSG (+280) vs. Barcelona (+115), Draw (+264)

Barcelona will face Paris Saint Germain at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday, February 14th, for the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16.

PSG have had a disappointing season so far. They are currently third in France Ligue 1, a league they have become accustomed to winning. They also qualified second in their Champions League group behind Arsenal.

Currently, PSG sits below Nice and Monaco in Ligue 1, five points from the top. If they are not able to improve their position by the end of the season, they will not be guaranteed a Champions League spot next year.

So PSG have sought to deal with their woes in the way they know best: by throwing money at the problem. Rumor has it that giant swaths of cash have been offered in exchange for Liverpool’s Adam Lallana and Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez.

Either would be a great addition to the team, who have been forced to rely on the inconsistent Edinson Cavani after losing their star striker, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. But for now, PSG will have to work with what they have.

Barcelona also sit third in their domestic league, five points back of the leader. Real Madrid and Sevilla are the two clubs above them in La Liga. This Barcelona squad have been unusually sloppy in defense and uninspiring in the midfield. But their attack – comprised of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Neymar – has saved the side countless times.

Though they did lose one of their games to Manchester City in the group stages, they still managed to qualify on top. Despite the problems they are having this season, they remain one of the best sides in the world.

While Barcelona are just going through a slump in form, PSG are facing more serious problems with their structure and their lineup. They will have home advantage in the first leg of the Champions League, but unless they can make some dire changes in the next month, they’re going to have a very difficult time.

Pick: Barcelona (+115)

Photo credit: “Neymar” by Alex Fau, CC BY-SA 2.0 [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0], via Flickr.