Paris St-Germain talisman Kylian Mbappe has said he expects the Ligue 1 leader’s Uefa Champions League quarter-final against Barcelona to be a “turning point” for the team in his final season at the club.
The reigning French champions are 10 points clear at the top of their domestic table but know their season is likely to be judged on how far their bid to win the Champions League for the first time progresses.
“By the end of April, we will have an indication of the type of campaign we are likely to have,” PSG top scorer Mbappe told Telefoot ahead of the first leg at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.
“Every year, this period is a turning point in the season. It is the time for great players.”
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Mbappe’s six Champions League goals make the France captain the joint-top scorer in this season’s competition alongside Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane, Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland.
Three of those goals came across PSG’s 4-1 aggregate victory over Liga club Real Sociedad in the round of 16, but the reigning Spanish champions are likely to pose a stiffer test as Luis Enrique’s players attempt to take Paris to the semi-finals for the first time in three seasons.
Mbappe ‘ready’ for PSG v Barca
Despite being eight points behind Liga leaders Real Madrid, Barca are on an 11-match unbeaten run and have won their last four contests, including a 3-1 victory over Napoli to complete a 4-2 aggregate win in the round of 16.
Napoli’s goal was the only occasion on which the five-time European champions have conceded in their last six games.
🙌 𝟑𝟎𝟎
Kylian Mbappé marks his 3️⃣0️⃣0️⃣th match, across all competitions, representing Paris Saint-Germain ❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/PxkHrxTqNV
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) April 6, 2024
Mbappe, though, has form in the fixture, including a hat-trick at Barcelona to seal a 5-2 aggregate win for PSG in the round of 16 in 2021.
“I am ready and, as always, I am not going to hide,” said Mbappe, who is expected to join Real Madrid in the summer and came closest to winning the Champions League when PSG lost the 2019/20 final 1-0 to Bayern Munich.
“Seeing the dynamic the team is in, I am sure that we will give everything. From there, it’s in God’s hands.”
