Rival watch: Ibrahimovic leads Paris Saint-Germain to top spot in Ligue 1

After FC Barcelona eliminated UEFA Champions League last-16 rivals Manchester City last Wednesday, Friday's quarter-final draw in Nyon, Switzerland handed the Catalans a new challenge — Paris Saint-Germain. Thus, Rival Watch begins a new chapter.

It is worth noting that Barça and PSG faced off twice this season already — in Group F of the Champions League round-robin stage. The French won 3–2 in Paris while the Catalans were victorious 3–1 in Barcelona. Barça won the group.

Paris Saint-Germain move into first

After being the first ball chosen from the bowl at Friday morning's draw and then seeing themselves paired with group-stage nemesis FC Barcelona, PSG went out and dominated Ligue One's first match of the weekend on Friday night, beating Lorient 3–1 at Parc des Princes.

Former Barça player Zlatan Ibrahimovic — who will miss the first leg against FC Barcelona while serving a one-game suspension — was the star of the game, netting all three goals.

The victory gave the Parisians the provisional lead in the French first division. On Saturday, however, it became official as Olympique Lyonnais fell 2–1 at home to Nice on Saturday afternoon, giving PSG a one-point advantage in the standings.