Hansi Flick can celebrate his 100th win as Barcelona manager if his side overcome reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain in a high-profile Champions League meeting at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday.
Barcelona arrive in Paris in outstanding form, having won all nine of their LaLiga matches this season. That run leaves them five points clear of Atletico Madrid and makes them the first side to begin a campaign with nine straight victories since Real Madrid in 1968-69.
Their 39 goals in those games are also the second-highest total recorded by a team after its opening nine matches in LaLiga. Only Sevilla, who scored 42 in 1940-41, have managed more.
Flick’s side have also made a strong start to their Champions League campaign, beating Feyenoord 5-1 before a 4-1 victory against Galatasaray.
The German reached 99 wins in 128 matches in charge across all competitions when Barcelona defeated Real Betis 5-2 on Saturday. His record also includes 10 draws and 19 defeats.
“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.”
Tuesday’s fixture will be the 17th meeting between PSG and Barcelona, with both sides having won six times and drawn four. It is the joint-highest number of matches either club have played against an opponent in major European competition, alongside PSG’s 17 games against Bayern Munich, in which Bayern have seven wins, one draw and nine defeats.
PSG have won the last two encounters. Only Bayern have beaten Barcelona in three successive European Cup or Champions League matches, doing so six times between May 2015 and October 2022.
The fixture has produced 57 goals in 15 meetings, an average of 3.8 per game. Among European Cup or Champions League pairings played at least 10 times, only Ajax against Bayern has a higher average, at 3.9.
Luis Enrique’s PSG are unbeaten in their past 12 matches in the competition, winning eight and drawing four. Another game without defeat would equal their longest unbeaten run in the European Cup or Champions League: 13 matches 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, Barcelona and PSG have been involved in the two Champions League campaigns producing the most goals, with 130 and 134 respectively.
Flick has the competition’s best goals-per-game average among Barcelona managers to have overseen at least five matches, at three, but also the worst goals-conceded average, at 1.6.
Both clubs are viewed as contenders to reach next June’s final in Madrid, although Flick is focused on the immediate challenge.
“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,” he said.
“We played against the best team in the world in the last two years. For us, it’s an opportunity.”
