Paris St-Germain v Barcelona – a fixture that could prove to be the most exciting in this season’s Champions League.

The free-scoring teams start match week three as the league phase’s top two, with PSG ahead of Barcelona on goals scored and with no other sides having netted more this term.

PSG were 2-1 winners when they met at this stage last season, with Luis Enrique’s side going on to win a second successive Champions League title, having also beaten Barcelona over two legs in the quarter-finals three seasons ago.

“It will be a fascinating game on Tuesday,” French football expert Julien Laurens told BBC Sport’s Euro Leagues podcast.

Since the start of the 2025 Club World Cup, Barca and PSG rank second and third respectively for most goals scored per match by clubs in Europe’s top five leagues.

Barca have netted 192 times in 68 games at a rate of 2.82 per match, with PSG scoring 154 in 67 games at 2.3 per outing.

Only Bayern Munich rank above both.

Often dubbed the least competitive of the five major European leagues, PSG have dominated French football in recent times.

They have won 12 of the past 14 Ligue 1 titles, including the past five. Three of those five were by nine or more points.

Barca are defending La Liga champions and have won three of the past four titles. Last season they finished eight points clear of arch rivals and runners-up Real Madrid.

PSG became only the second team in the Champions League era to win it in back-to-back seasons, after Real Madrid.

In the past two seasons only Bayern from Europe’s big five leagues can match Barca and PSG for back-to-back titles.

A further look into recent statistics shows the high praise directed at PSG and Barca is warranted.

In expected goals (xG) per league match in Europe’s top five leagues since last season, Barca (2.56) and PSG (2.22) rank second and third respectively. Only Bayern (3.06) are above both.

Barcelona are also second for goals scored and goals scored per match in that time, with PSG sixth and fifth in those metrics respectively.

However, PSG have played fewer league games than Barca, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Manchester City, who are all high performers in those tables.

PSG’s squad depth has allowed them to make wholesale changes frequently in Ligue 1 games and still get results.

They beat Strasbourg 3-1 on Saturday despite making eight changes to the team that won 4-2 in the Champions League three days earlier.

“They’ve earned the right to rest their players,” said European football journalist Raphael Honigstein.

Barca have also added squad depth this season that has led to an increase in attacking firepower.

In 10 of their 11 matches in all competitions this season they have scored three or more goals. In six games they have scored five or more.

“The biggest and most obvious difference is the squad depth that they’ve added through some brilliant signings in the likes of Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi,” said BBC Sport’s Spanish football reporter Elizabeth Conway.

“They’ve brought real pace and directness to the attack, and Gabriel Jesus has given them another option up front. It’s been pivotal.”

At the helm of PSG is Spaniard Luis Enrique, who has plenty of connections with Barca.

Enrique spent the past eight years of his playing career at the Camp Nou between 1996 and 2004, before managing the club’s B team in his first managerial role.

Enrique, 56, spent three years in charge of Barca’s first team between 2014 and 2017 before going on to manage Spain.

As Barca head coach, Enrique won La Liga twice, the Copa del Rey three times and the 2014-15 Champions League title.

Enrique is not alone in swapping Barcelona for the French capital. Forward Ferran Torres made the same move over the summer shortly after scoring the winning goal for Spain in the World Cup final.

PSG’s star forward Ousmane Dembele also spent time at Barca before joining PSG.

As well as the collective success of both sides, the individuals starring at PSG and Barcelona are among the world’s best.

Of the top 14 players on the 2025 Ballon d’Or list, eight of them were current players at PSG or Barcelona.

Dembele and team-mate Vitinha finished first and third respectively, with Barcelona teenager Lamine Yamal second.

Next Monday’s 2026 Ballon d’Or list is also likely to be a similar story. Of the 30 players listed for the award, 13 play for the two clubs.

Lamine Yamal, who has eight La Liga goals this season, is among the favourites for this year’s award.

“He’s still only 19 and he’s still very much developing,” said Laurens.

“The variety that he has in his game, the dribbling and the skills – just everything that he does is just so, so good now.

“You take him out – [it is] still a very, very good team. Let’s say you put Adeyemi on the right and Gordon on the left, and Raphinha – it’s still a great front three.

“But you put Lamine Yamal in there and suddenly it becomes a phenomenal front three.”

Watch highlights of every Champions League game from 22:00 on Wednesday on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.

There will also be a Champions League Match of the Day on BBC One on Wednesday, from 22:40 to 00:00.