Finishing second has been an unfamiliar feeling for Paris Saint-Germain over the past 12 months, but they were soundly beaten by Chelsea in last summer's Fifa Club World Cup final. The defeat appeared to sting, judging by the post-match scuffles which broke out, with Blues forward Joao Pedro claiming the Parisians "lost their heads". However, PSG head coach Luis Enrique, who confronted the Brazilian in New Jersey, insisted last week that "there is no feeling of revenge for us – this is a different competition".
Facing Premier League rivals is, by now, nothing new for PSG, with this match their 13th against English opposition since the start of last season. They've had a clear edge in those encounters and eliminated Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal on the way to winning the Champions League for the first time. The French side have not quite hit those heights in the current campaign, with Friday's defeat by Monaco their seventh loss in all competitions. However, helpful scheduling from Ligue 1 means they'll get extra rest before next week's second leg, with their game against Nantes postponed – a decision which hasn't gone down particularly well with their relegation-threatened opponents.
Did you know?
- PSG have lost just two of their last 14 European matches (W8, D4).
- They have the second youngest average starting XI in this season's Champions League (24 years, 195 days), bettered by only Chelsea (24 years, 31 days).
- The 3-1 defeat to Monaco on Friday was their fourth loss since the turn of the year.
Player to watch: Matvei Safonov
The 27-year-old Russian has been ever-present in the last six weeks, having usurped summer signing Lucas Chevalier after recovering from a broken hand. He was injured during December's shoot-out win against Flamengo in the Intercontinental Cup final, when he saved four spot-kicks. Luis Enrique says he has never coached a keeper so good at reading where penalty takers will hit their shots.
