"Already shown that he is capable of stopping him" - PSG star sends warning to Barcelona star Lamine Yamal ahead of UCL clash

PSG defender Achraf Hakimi sent a message to Barcelona ace Lamine Yamal that the youngster would face a stiff challenge from Nuno Mendes. The two teams meet on the second matchday of the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday (October 1).

Yamal, 18, is coming off a second straight Kopa Trophy win. He also finished second in the Ballon d'Or race after a spectacular season with club and country, winning the domestic treble with Barca and reaching the UEFA Nations League final with Spain (lost to Portugal on penalties).

The youngster has had a slow start to the new season after being beset by a groin injury. Yamal has two goals and four assists in four games in La Liga, including an assist in a 2-1 La Liga home win over Real Sociedad.

He returned to action in the aforementioned Sociedad win at the weekend, catapulting the Blaugrana atop the standings after early leaders Real Madrid's perfect start to the campaign ended with a 5-2 loss at Atletico Madrid a day earlier.

“Lamine will face the best left-back in the world, who is Nuno Mendes," warned Hakimi (as per Reshad Rahman). "He has already shown that he is capable of stopping him.”

The Parisians are the defending champions, winning their first Champions League title as part of a historic quadruple. They opened their title defence with a 4-0 home win over Atalanta last month. Meanwhile, Barca, who lost on penalties to Inter Milan in the semi-finals last campaign, won 2-1 at Newcastle United on matchday one.

What happened the last time Barcelona faced PSG?

Barcelona and PSG share a riveting rivalry, especially in the UEFA Champions League, with each team winning five times in 14 meetings and scoring an impressive 27 times apiece.

In their last showdown in the 2023-24 quarter-finals, the Parisians lost the first leg 3-2 at home, with Raphinha starring with a brace for the visitors. Newly crowned Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha netted after the break for the Ligue 1 side before Andreas Christensen bagged a 77th-minute winner.

The Parisians, though, ran riot in the return leg in Spain. After Raphinha had given the hosts a 12th-minute lead on the night and 4-2 on aggregate, PSG would score four times without reply, with current Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe helping himself to a brace, while Vitinha and Dembele also scored.

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Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 20 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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Edited by Bhargav