‘Amazing’ PSG stand between Flick and 100th Barcelona win

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Hansi Flick reflected on a “great journey” with Barcelona as his 100th win in charge of the club could come in a mouth-watering Champions League tie with Paris Saint-Germain. 

In one of the standout games in the league phase of this year’s competition, the Spanish champions make the trip to the Parc des Princes to face the holders on Tuesday.

Barca have made an electric start to their LaLiga title defence, winning all nine of their opening games to sit five points clear of Atletico Madrid in the standings. 

They are the first team to achieve the feat since Real Madrid in 1968-69, while their 39 goals are the second-most by a team after their first nine matches in LaLiga, after the Sevilla team of 1940-41 plundered 42 goals. 

And Barca have also begun their quest for a first Champions League title since 2014-15 with thumping back-to-back wins over Feyenoord (5-1) and Galatasaray (4-1).

Flick saw his side beat Real Betis 5-2 in LaLiga on Saturday, taking the Barcelona boss to 99 wins from his 128 matches (D10 L19) in charge across all competitions. 

“When we started here we already said we were ready. It has been a great journey. I appreciate the respect and affection of the Catalans, it’s incredible,” Flick told reporters.

“When you win, everyone is happy. And I think the team is doing very well. I’m very proud.

“The players came back from a long World Cup, people thought that they might not be 100% and they are. It’s amazing to see them and the atmosphere in the dressing room.”

Flickball has arrived to Paris https://t.co/wKrsUEFYxr

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 19, 2026

This will be the 17th time that PSG have faced Barca (W6 D4 L6), which is the joint most games they have played against an opponent in major European competition (also 17 against Bayern Munich – W7 D1 L9).

PSG have won their last two games against Barca, while only Bayern have won three consecutive matches against them in the European Cup/Champions League (a run of six – May 2015 to October 2022).

And of fixtures played 10+ times in European Cup/Champions League history, only Ajax versus Bayern (3.9) has a higher goals-per-game ratio than PSG versus Barcelona (3.8 – 57 goals in 15 meetings).

Luis Enrique’s side are unbeaten in their last 12 games in this competition (W8 D4), and can equal their longest ever unbeaten run in the European Cup/Champions League (13 games between October 2012 and November 2013).

“His team plays fantastic football, and he is one of the best coaches in the world,” Flick said of Luis Enrique.

“I love their intensity, the pressure of their team, how they swap positions, the flexibility of their system. At this level, they’re amazing. It’s a fantastic job.”

Since 2024-25, the two teams whose games have seen the most Champions League goals have been Barcelona (130) and PSG (134).

Flick has both the best goals per game ratio (three) and worst goals conceded per game ratio (1.6) of any Barca coach to take charge of 5+ games in the competition.

These two are among the favourites to reach the Champions League final in Madrid next June, though Flick is not looking that far ahead. 

“I think tomorrow is a good test for us. I would like our team to play with confidence, as a team that has won the last eleven games,” Flick added.

“We played against the best team in the world in the last two years. For us, it’s an opportunity.”

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