Defending champions Paris Saint‑Germain welcome Chelsea to the Parc des Princes on Wednesday night for the first leg of their round-of-16 clash in the UEFA Champions League.
The meeting marks the first encounter between the two clubs since the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final, when Chelsea ran out comfortable 3-0 winners thanks to an outstanding display from Cole Palmer in the United States.
PSG’s path to the knockout stage has been far from smooth despite their status as Champions League holders. The French giants finished 11th in the league phase standings, missing out on automatic qualification after winning just one of their final five matches.
Draws and defeats against teams like Athletic Bilbao, Sporting CP and Newcastle United forced PSG into the playoff round, where they were paired with domestic rivals AS Monaco.
The tie proved tense, but the side managed by Luis Enrique eventually progressed 5-4 on aggregate after a 2-2 draw in the second leg in Paris.
Since then, PSG’s Ligue 1 campaign has produced mixed results. They secured a narrow 1-0 win away at Le Havre AC but were then beaten 3-1 at home by Monaco. That defeat allowed RC Lens to close the gap at the top of the table to just one point with nine league games remaining.
The Parisians have been given a weekend off from domestic action, meaning their full focus has been on preparing for their 14th consecutive appearance in the Champions League round of 16.
Encouragingly for PSG fans, their team has an impressive record against English opposition in recent European matches. They have lost only once in their last eight games against Premier League clubs and knocked out Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal during last season’s title-winning Champions League run.
Chelsea booked their place in the last 16 after finishing sixth in the league phase standings, winning five of their eight matches.
The London club comes into the match in decent form. Since their thrilling 3-2 comeback victory over Napoli on the final matchday of the league phase, the Blues have recorded five wins from their last nine matches in all competitions.
Their most recent outings include a commanding 4-1 victory over Aston Villa in the Premier League and a dramatic 4-2 extra-time win against Wrexham in the FA Cup fifth round.
Head coach Liam Rosenior is now aiming to maintain Chelsea’s momentum as the club pursues a strong finish in the Premier League while also making a deep run in Europe’s elite competition, which they last won in 2021.
Chelsea also have a positive record against French clubs in UEFA competitions, winning their last six matches against teams from Ligue 1.
Team News
PSG will be without midfielders Fabián Ruiz and Quentin Ndjantou due to injury. However, João Neves is close to returning after recovering from an ankle problem and could feature if he passes a late fitness test.Manager Luis Enrique must also decide whether to recall captain Marquinhos in defence or continue with the centre-back partnership of Illia Zabarnyi and William Pacho.
In attack, Ousmane Dembélé could return to the starting lineup after recovering from a calf injury. The French winger has been one of PSG’s top scorers this season and may join Désiré Doué and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in a dangerous front three.
Chelsea also have several injury concerns. Estevão Willian, Jamie Gittens and Levi Colwill remain sidelined, while Mykhaylo Mudryk is suspended.
Defender Wesley Fofana is expected to return to the starting lineup alongside Trevoh Chalobah at centre-back.
Midfielders Enzo Fernández and Andrey Santos are both one booking away from suspension but are likely to start with Moisés Caicedo anchoring the midfield.
Up front, the in-form João Pedro is expected to lead the line after scoring 11 goals in his last 12 matches across all competitions.
Possible Starting Lineups
Paris Saint-Germain:Safonov; Hakimi, Zabarnyi, Pacho, Mendes; Neves, Vitinha, Zaire-Emery; Doue, Dembele, Kvaratskhelia
Chelsea:
Sanchez; James, Fofana, Chalobah, Cucurella; Caicedo, Santos; Palmer, Fernandez, Neto; Pedro
Expert Prediction
PSG 2-1 Chelsea
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