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7 months ago
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Barcelona fans mistakenly threw objects at their own team bus ahead of their Champions League quarter-final second leg against PSG this evening.
The Catalan giants won last week's first leg 3-2 in Paris, and supporters arrived early to gather outside the Olympic Stadium and give their players a huge reception as they entered the ground.
The road to Barcelona's temporary home - with the Nou Camp still being redeveloped - was lit up with flares, creating a remarkable atmosphere as the two teams made their way to the venue for tonight's game.
But the smoke throughout the street may have caused some confusion, as fans chucked missiles towards Barcelona's bus while signing 'P*** PSG' (F*** PSG).
Fans also sang about Kylian Mbappe, who looks set to be PSG's danger man tonight, while also despicably chanting 'die Vinicius' ahead of Sunday's El Clasico against Real Madrid.
Barcelona fans turned up early to greet their players ahead of tonight's match against PSG
Police were on hand to try and keep supporters back, as the road was filled with smoke from flares
Police stepped in and wielded batons after objects were thrown at Barcelona's team bus
Vinicius has been subjected to racist abuse throughout his time in Spain, and broke down in tears during a press conference when discussing the subject last month.
Police were forced to step in to ensure that fans stayed back and the buses could get into the stadium safely.
Batons were wielded by the police as they forced supporters back to the pavement to keep the road clear.
Earlier, around 2,600 PSG fans, including around 400 so-called ultras arrived for the game and were given a police escort up the Montjuic hill to the stadium two hours before kick-off.
One arrest was made at around 5pm local time after a PSG fan allegedly assaulted a Barcelona supporter.
The violent scenes did not seem to delay either side notably, with their respective warm-ups starting on time, while kick-off did not need to be pushed back either.
Tuesday's game promises to be a huge night for Barcelona, as they aim to make the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in five years.
Barcelona fans were aiming to create a hostile atmosphere as they look to make the semi-finals for the first time in five years
There were also despicable chants aimed at Vinicius Jr ahead of this weekend's EL Clasico. Vinicius broke down in tears last month when talking about the racist abuse he has suffered in Spain
They made the last four back in 2019 and won the first leg 3-0 against Liverpool, only for the Reds to produce a stunning comeback at Anfield to secure a famous 4-0 victory and progress to the final.
Barcelona will want to banish those memories if they can reach the semi-finals again this time around.
The team are also looking to give manager and club legend Xavi the perfect farewell after he announced he will be leaving at the end of the season.
Meanwhile, PSG will hope to take one step closer to winning the trophy that has eluded them thus far.
They came up just short in 2020, losing to Bayern Munich 1-0 in the final.
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