Adrien Rabiot, Angel di Maria and Thiago Motta named in PSG squad for Barca clash

Adrien Rabiot, Angel di Maria and Thiago Motta have been named in the Paris Saint-Germain squad for Wednesday's Champions League showdown with Barcelona.

Both Rabiot and Di Maria were hugely influential in PSG's 4-0 thrashing of the La Liga champions in the first leg of their last 16 clash in February. The former Real Madrid and Manchester United midfielder opened the scoring with a free kick that evening, topping that in the second half with a sumptuous curling effort from 30 yards out.

Rabiot, meanwhile, almost single-handedly nullified Barcelona's midfield. The Frenchman shielded his back four superbly and persistently broke up everything the Catalans tried to string together. His presence forced the Barcelona into mistakes, and when those mistakes came, he was first onto the ball.

Barcelona face a hugely difficult task in rescuing the tie at the Nou Camp on Wednesday but were seemingly dealt a lifeline following reports PSG's influential duo and Motta – who missed the match in Paris due to suspension – were doubts for the return leg.

Rabiot missed Saturday's 1-0 victory over AS Nancy due to illness, with Di Maria also missing out due to a muscular problem. Motta, meanwhile, has missed his club's last two games due to a calf injury.

Marca reported on Monday that Motta was certain to miss the game against his former club, describing the situation with Di Maria as only slightly better, suggesting the Argentina international would not be 100% fit if Unai Emery decides to start him.

But PSG have confirmed they are travelling and that every senior player is available, with the exception of January signing Goncalo Guedes, who is cup-tied having played in the group stages of this year's competition with Benfica.

Barcelona will have to score four to have any chance of rescuing the tie on Wednesday, but have been warming up in fine-goal scoring fashion in recent weeks. In their last two La Liga outings, Luis Enrique's side have plundered 11 goals, five against Celta Vigo and six against Sporting Gijon, conceding just once.