JAKARTA - Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) will host Brest at the Parc des Princes in the second leg of the Champions League playoffs on Wednesday 19 February or Thursday morning WIB. With the 3-0 aggregate advantage achieved in the first leg, Luis Enrique's men only needed a draw to ensure a place in the last 16. Meanwhile, Brest faces an almost impossible challenge to turn things around in the history of this competition.
PSG came into this match with high confidence after winning a landslide victory in the first leg. Vitinha's quick penalty goal and two goals from Ousmane Dembele made the French giant seal a 3-0 victory at Brest's headquarters. This advantage makes PSG a strong favorite to advance to the next round.
Statistics also sided with PSG. In the last 17 of the last 18 matches in the European competition where they won the first leg, PSG always qualified for the next round. In fact, according to Opta, PSG's chances of advancing to the last 16 are 99%.
Luis Enrique's side are also in great form. They were unbeaten in the last 18 games in all competitions, with 15 wins in the last 16 matches. A 1-0 win over Toulouse in Ligue 1 last weekend was proof of their consistency, although some key players were rested.
In addition, this match also has the potential to add to PSG's impressive record against Brest. Since January 1985, PSG have never lost their last 31 meetings against Brest. The record is close to the record for the longest consecutive victory over a team in French football history, currently held by AS Monaco with 34 unbeaten matches against Montpellier.
For Brest, this match is an almost impossible challenge to beat. No team in the history of the Champions League managed to qualify after losing at home with a difference of three goals or more in the first leg.
Les Pirates' away record to the Parc des Princes is also bad. In their last 18 visits to PSG headquarters, Brest never won, with their last win at the stadium taking place in 1981. In addition, Brest has never scored more than two goals in a single game at the Parc des Princes in their history.
Brest's journey in the Champions League this season initially went well, but in recent weeks their performance has dropped dramatically. Their 3-0 defeat in the first leg marked their third straight defeat at home in this competition, something that has never happened in nearly 12 years. In fact, they failed to prepare with a win at the weekend, only drawing 2-2 against Auxerre in Ligue 1.
However, Brest still has hopes of returning to European competition next season through Ligue 1. They are only one point behind the top seven in the standings, which can provide tickets to European competitions with a smaller capacity like the UEFA Conference League.
PSG kemungkinan akan kembali menurunkan sejumlah pemain utama setelah mengselamatkan beberapa dari mereka pada laga melawan Toulous. Ousmane Dembele, yang tengah dalam performa luar biasa dengan 18 gol dalam 12 laga terakhirnya, termasuk 15 gol sejak awal tahun 2025, akan kembali ke starting XI.
Apart from Dembele, names such as Gianluigi Donnarumma, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, and Joao Neves are also expected to return to the main line. One player who is confirmed absent is Warren Zare-Emery, who is still suffering an ankle injury.
Meanwhile, Brest will also have to face this game with several absent players. Jordan Amavi (hamstring injury) and Bradley Locko (ordinary injury) will not be available for their defense. In midfield and attack, Jonas Martin (mustric injury) and Romain Del Castillo (knee injury) were also absent. They lost more power after Ibrahim Salah picked up an injury during the match against Auxerre and had to be pulled out in the first 20 minutes.
With a match that seems an impossible mission for Brest, coach Eric Roy could rotate players to rest some of the core players to face an important game against Strasbourg in Ligue 1 on weekends.
With everything in favor of PSG, it is difficult to see other results besides victory for the home team. With a comfortable advantage, PSG could have played more relaxed, but with the depth of the squad they had, the quality of the game remained high.
Brest will probably try to play loose and put up a fight, but with their poor record against PSG and the squad's less ideal condition, it's hard to imagine they could score more than one goal, let alone turn things around.
PSG are expected to advance to the last 16 comfortably, where they are likely to face bigger challenges than teams like Liverpool or Barcelona.
Paris Saint-Germain (4-3-3):Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Nuno Mendes; Vitinha, Joao Neves, Fabian Ruiz; Doue, Dembele, Barcola.
Brest (4-3-3):Bizot; Zogbe, Chardonnet, Coulibaly, Pereira Lage; Lees-Melou, Magnetti, Doumbia; Faivre, Ajorque, Mama Balde.
Final prediction: Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 Brest (agregate 6-1).
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
