PSG have shown poor form in the European playground in the final period of 2024, when defeats against Arsenal, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich put them at risk of being eliminated early from the UEFA Champions League group stage. But everything was left behind.
PSG entered the match against their compatriot Brest in the UEFA Champions League play-off round in the context of their very high performance. Luis Enrique's side beat Man City and Stuttgart for a place in the knockout stages of the play-offs, scoring four goals against each opponent.
Meeting Brest gives PSG a great chance to get a ticket to the next round. Statistics show that in the last 61 matches against French teams, PSG have only lost 1 match. They also just beat Monaco 4-1 in Ligue 1
"With PSG's quality, especially in attack, they can be a threat to any team. For me, they are a candidate for the Champions League, said Monaco coach Adi Huetter after that match.
It seems that the Parisian team has now adapted to life without Kylian Mbappe, largely thanks to the impressive form of Ousmane Dembele. This player has scored 16 goals in the last 10 appearances and has scored 8 goals in the last 3 matches. Dembele was the one who scored the hat-trick to help PSG beat Brest 5-2 in Ligue I recently.
Bradley Barcola has also returned to his best form in recent weeks, while rookie Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored his first goal for PSG in the win over Monaco.
PSG have had difficulty scoring in the first matches of the Champions League this season. However, they are currently having impressive scoring performances.
"We have gone through everything in the Champions League this season. Facing fragile moments, only fans trust us, thanks to which PSG has matured.
We never stop fighting, try to play well, put pressure, always want the ball, play offensively. PSG played with the determination to win, whether playing at home or away. That is our goal this season, to fight to the end in every tournament to try to make history, said PSG coach Luis Enrique.
In previous Champions League seasons, according to the old format, teams from the same country could not meet each other before the quarter-finals. Everything has changed this season. That brings a disadvantage for Brest when they soon meet PSG in their first participation in the European Cup.
Brest had to borrow the stadium from Guingamp to play PSG, because their home stadium did not meet the standards of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).
Entering the Champions League play-off round is a big reward for Brest, because their ability to defeat PSG is not high. Statistics show that Brest has not won against PSG since January 1985.
"When you play in the European Cup, you will enjoy playing with a foreign team more," said Eric Roy of Brest.
"PSG are an incredible team, one of the four or five strong contenders for the title this season. In theory, we are not at the same level as them, Mr. Roy added.
The first leg of the play-off match between Brest vs PSG takes place at 0:45 on February 12.
