In the Champions League Round of 16 on March 17, 2026, Chelsea and PSG will play the second leg. The title holder only needs to avoid a heavy defeat.
Under Maresca, the English side last season returned to the Premier League’s top four and simultaneously won the Conference League. In the summer, they also added the Club World Cup title. However, by New Year, Enzo had already been dismissed!
Nevertheless, Rosenior, having predictably lost to Arsenal in the League Cup semi-final, maintained the team’s performance in the Premier League—they could still repeat the 2024/2025 result. The French top club only failed to secure a complete set of trophies last year due to a defeat by the current opponent. This season, PSG has already been knocked out of the French Cup and can’t pull away from Lens in Ligue 1.
In the Champions League, the London side started with a 1-3 defeat—though that was away to Bayern. After that, they lost only to Atalanta. Unexpectedly, they also dropped points against Qarabag, drawing 2-2. However, by winning their other matches, they managed to finish the group stage among the best.
The title holder started the new campaign seemingly well, with three victories, including one in Barcelona. But then they added only one more, against Tottenham, and even lost to Bayern and Sporting. They had to play in the playoffs, and it wasn’t easy against Monaco: they battled to a 3-2 comeback win away, and settled for a high-scoring draw at home. With Fernandez and company at home, they staged a very entertaining and successful match, winning 5-2.
Previous matches: Chelsea – PSG
There have been nine official matches prior to this playoff meeting. Last summer, Chelsea leveled the head-to-head with a big win in the Club World Cup final—leaving both sides with three victories each.
There’s a chance Chelsea could grab a final win. But overall, it shouldn’t be boring again—we recommend betting on “total over 3.0 goals” (odds – 1.67).
Chelsea – PSG: key statistics and trends
PSG drew three of their last six matches
The team scored an average of 2.82 goals and conceded 1.55 per game
Chelsea have won three of their last five Champions League matches
The club averages 2.11 goals scored and 1.67 conceded per match
Chelsea – PSG: Possible starting lineups
Chelsea use a 1-4-2-3-1 formation (probable lineup): Jorgensen – Cucurella, Chalobah, Fofana, Gusto – James, Caicedo, Neto, Fernandez, Palmer – Joao Pedro. Colwill, Gittens, and Estevao are unavailable.
PSG use a 1-4-3-3 formation (probable lineup): Safonov – Mendes, Pacho, Marquinhos, Hakimi – Joao Neves, Vitinha, Zaire-Emery – Barcola, Dembele, D. Doue. Fabian Ruiz is out with injury.
