Chelsea vs Paris Saint Germain

Chelsea will host Paris Saint‑Germain in a decisive UEFA Champions League knockout clash at Stamford Bridge for the second leg of this round-of-16 clash following last week’s 5-2 loss to PSG. Historically, the two clubs have met nine times in UEFA competition, all in the Champions League, but Paris Saint-Germain holds the edge in those encounters with four wins, while Chelsea FC have two victories, and three matches have ended in draws. Chelsea, however, have a strong overall record in European knockout football. The Premier League club have won their last three Champions League round-of-16 ties and have progressed in 13 of their previous 16 UEFA two-legged ties. Nevertheless, their experience in comeback situations will also be tested, with the Blues needing a four-goal margin for a place in the quarterfinals. Historically, the only time Chelsea lost the away first leg of a European tie by three goals came in the 1994/95 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup semi-finals against Real Zaragoza, when they were eliminated despite winning the return leg. At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea have traditionally been strong against French opposition. They have lost only one of their 11 UEFA home matches against clubs from France, recording seven wins and three draws. The London side have also won their last three such matches and have scored at least two goals in each of their last seven UEFA games against French teams. Liam Rosenior is expected to deploy a 4—2—3—1 formation with João Pedro in attack.

PSG have also had the better record in knockout meetings, progressing in two of their three two-legged ties against Chelsea, including the most recent clash in the 2015/16 round of 16, where they won 4-2 on aggregate with 2-1 victories in both legs. In addition, PSG have lost only one of their last nine UEFA matches against Premier League opposition, winning six and drawing two. Notably, the Parisian side eliminated three English teams in last season’s Champions League—Liverpool FC, Aston Villa FC, and Arsenal FC—defeating them in the round of 16, quarter-finals, and semi-finals, respectively. The French champions have also been extremely consistent in knockout football recently. PSG have won their last five Champions League two-legged ties and have progressed from all four UEFA knockout ties in which they held a three-goal advantage after the first leg at home. That statistic highlights the scale of the challenge facing Chelsea if they are chasing the tie. A 4—3—3 formation having Désiré Doué, Ousmane Dembélé and Barcola in attack may be seen against the Blues.