By Goal.com News on Tuesday, 16 February 2021
Category: Goal.com News

Pochettino reveals Mbappe predicted Barcelona win before stunning Camp Nou hat-trick

The Paris Saint-Germain boss revealed that the forward was interested in his own personal history against Tuesday's opponents

Mauricio Pochettino revealed that Kylian Mbappe predicted PSG would defeat Barcelona at Camp Nou before making his prediction come true by scoring a hat-trick.

Mbappe was the star of the show on Tuesday as he netted three goals in PSG's 4-1 victory in the Champions League last-16 first leg.

After the match, Pochettino revealed that he and Mbappe had discussed the possibility of taking down Barcelona well before it happened as Mbappe reveled in helping the former Espanyol manager defeat his longtime rivals.

What did Mbappe tell Pochettino?

"Before the match, he asked me how many times I had won at Camp Nou," Pochettino said in his post-game press conference. "'Once,' I told him. He replied to me: 'Tomorrow, we are going to win a second time.'

He added: "He is a top player. Great footballers write their history. They evolve match after match. With this hat-trick, Kylian will be in the spotlight but we had no doubts.

"He's world-class. No one can discover Mbappe tonight. He's a fantastic player and he's very happy in our club. He said it, I said it too."

What's next for Mbappe, Pochettino and PSG?

Pochettino has been with PSG for just over a month, having now picked up a true statement victory in the Champions League without superstar Neymar.

PSG currently sit second in Ligue 1, just behind league-leaders Lille, with Mbappe leading the team with 21 goals in 29 games.

The club is currently without Neymar, who is dealing with an adductor injury that has him racing to be fit for the second leg against Barcelona on March 10 at the Parc des Princes.

Before that, though, PSG have a vital match in the title race looming as they face Monaco this weekend.

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