PSG shows weak performance at the European playground at the end of 2024, when defeats against Arsenal, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich put them in risk of being eliminated early from the UEFA Champions League group stage. But everything was left behind.
PSG entered the match against the compatriot team Brest at the UEFA Champions League play-off round in the context of very high form. Luis Enrique's team defeated Man City and Stuttgart to win a place in the live play-off round, scoring 4 goals against each opponent.
Meeting Brest gives PSG a great opportunity to get tickets to continue. Statistics show that in the 61 matches against the most recent French teams, PSG lost only 1 match. They have just won Monaco 4-1 in Ligue 1
"With the quality of PSG, especially in the attack, they may be a threat to every team. For me, they are candidates for the Champions League championship," Monaco's ADI Huetter coach said After that match.
It seems that the Paris team has now adapted to life without Kylian Mbappe, largely thanks to the impressive performance of Ousmane Dembele. This player has scored 16 goals in the last 10 appearances and has 8 goals in the last 3 matches. It was Dembele who made a hat-trick that helped PSG win Brest 5-2 at Ligue I recently.
Bradley Barcola has also returned to his best performance in recent weeks, while rookie Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored the first goal for PSG in the victory over Monaco.
PSG had difficulty scoring in the first matches of the Champions League this season. However, at present, they are having a respectable performance.
"We have experienced everything in the Champions League this season. Facing the fragile moments, only fans believe in us, so PSG has grown more.
We never stop fighting, trying to play well, put pressure, always want to have balls, play attacks. PSG plays with the determination to win, regardless of home or away from home. That is our goal this season, fighting to the end in every tournament to try to create history, ”said coach Luis Enrique of PSG.
In the previous seasons of the Champions League, according to the old format, the teams in the same country could not meet before the quarterfinals. Everything has changed this season. That brings a disadvantage to Brest when they soon meet PSG in the first European Cup.
Brest had to borrow the field at Guingamp to fight PSG, because their home field did not meet the standards of the European Football Federation (UEFA).
The play-off of the Champions League is a great reward for Brest, because the possibility of them defeating PSG is not high. Statistics show that Brest has never won PSG since January 1985.
"When you play in the European Cup, you will prefer to play with a more foreign team," Brest's coach Eric Roy said.
"PSG is an incredible team, one of 4 or 5 bright candidates for the championship this season. In theory we are not at the same level as them," Mr. Roy added.
The first leg of play-off between Brest vs PSG took place at 0:45 on 12.2.
