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PSG seek to capitalise on victory at Valencia

Paris Saint-Germain FC won all three home games in the group stage and hold a 2-1 advantage against a Valencia CF side who boast an impressive record in France.

Background: Paris Saint-Germain FC v Valencia CF ©Getty Images

Paris Saint-Germain FC will be looking to maintain their winning home form when they welcome Valencia CF to the French capital for the return leg of their last-16 tie.

• The Group A winners must give the Spanish side every respect however because Valencia have not experienced defeat in their last eight visits to France, although they have plenty of work to do having lost the first leg 2-1 at Mestalla on 12 February.

• To stay in the competition, Valencia will have to end PSG's 22-match unbeaten home run in Europe stretching back to a 4-2 reverse against Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC in November 2006. The French club have won their last seven European home games.

Previous meetings
• Before the 12 February fixture, the only previous meeting between the sides came in a pre-season tournament staged at the Arsenal Stadium in London on 29 July 2007. PSG ran out 3-0 winners with Amara Diané, David Ngog and Péguy Luyindula on the scoresheet.

• The lineups were:
Valencia: Hildebrand, Lillo, Moretti, Marchena, Lomban, Albelda (Baraja 46), Angulo, Sunny (Carles 86), Gavilán (Mata 46), Villa (Morientes 46), Arizmendi (Joaquín 46).
PSG: Alonzo, Mendy, Bourillon, Yepes (Armand 65), Sakho, Arnaud, Sankharé, Ngoyi (Mulumbu 81), Gallardo, Diané, Ngog (Luyindula 79).

• Mamadou Sakho and Sylvain Armand are still playing for PSG while David Albelda remains at Valencia.

Match background
• Although they reached the UEFA Champions League second group stage in 2000/01, this is the first knockout round tie PSG have been involved in since 1994/95, when they made it as far as the semi-finals.

• The French team have won their last two home games against Spanish visitors 4-2. They beat Athletic Club in last season's UEFA Europa League group stage and Sevilla FC in the same stage of the previous year's competition. Their record in 17 games against Spanish sides reads W9 D3 L5 (W5 D2 L1 at home).

• PSG's most momentous meeting with a Liga side was the 1996/97 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final, against FC Barcelona in Rotterdam, which they lost 1-0 to a Ronaldo penalty.

• Carlo Ancelotti's team won all three home games to finish top of Group A in an impressive return to the UEFA Champions League after an eight-year absence. They scored four times against both FC Dynamo Kyiv and GNK Dinamo Zagreb before defeating FC Porto to beat the Portuguese side to first place.

• PSG have won all 13 UEFA competition ties when they have recorded a first-leg away victory. That includes two when they won 2-1: against Glentoran FC in the 1983/84 European Cup Winners' Cup first round (2-1 home) and Kayserispor in the 2008/09 UEFA Cup first round (0-0 home).

• PSG have taken part in one penalty shoot-out in UEFA club competition:
3-4 v Rangers FC, 2001/02 UEFA Cup third round

• The first leg ended Valencia's 17-match unbeaten run against French sides, a streak which included two wins against LOSC Lille in Group F this season. They had not been defeated by a Ligue 1 club since their first match against one, the opening leg of the 1979/80 European Cup Winners' Cup semi-final when FC Nantes won 2-1 in France.

• Valencia won the return 4-0 to progress to the final, where they beat Arsenal FC 5-4 on penalties after a goalless draw.

• The Spanish side lifted more silverware in the shape of the 2003/04 UEFA Cup, and at the expense of French opponents as Olympique de Marseille were beaten 2-0 in the Gothenburg final.

• Since that 1980 defeat the Blanquinegros have made eight visits to France, winning four and drawing four. They were last there on 5 December when a Jonas penalty delivered a 1-0 win at LOSC – he also scored both goals in the 2-0 home win when the teams met on 2 October.

• Valencia's only defeat in Group F came in the opening fixture when they went down 2-1 at FC Bayern München. Their other away game brought a 3-0 success at FC BATE Borisov.

• The Spanish side are in the round of 16 for the second time in three seasons. In 2010/11 a 1-1 home draw put them on the back foot against FC Schalke 04 after Roberto Soldado had opened the scoring. Ricardo Costa's early strike in the return gave Valencia hope but Schalke ran out 3-1 victors on the night.

• Valencia have suffered three home first-leg defeats in UEFA competition and lost every tie, the last coming against SSC Napoli in the 1992/93 UEFA Cup first round (1-5 home, 0-1 away). The Spanish side have lost 2-1 in the first game at home only once, against RSC Anderlecht in the 1982/83 UEFA Cup quarter-finals; they went down 3-1 away.

• Valencia's last appearance in the quarter-finals came in 2006/07 when a 1-1 first-leg draw at Chelsea FC preceded a 2-1 home defeat. In the previous round they began with a 2-2 draw at FC Internazionale Milano, a result that proved decisive after the 0-0 stalemate in the return.

• Valencia's shoot-out record in UEFA club competitions is:
3-4 v FC Steaua Bucureşti, 2004/05 UEFA Cup round of 32
5-4 v Celtic FC, 2001/02 UEFA Cup third round
4-5 v FC Bayern München, 2001 UEFA Champions League final
5-4 v Arsenal FC, 1980 European Cup Winners' Cup final

Team ties
• PSG director of football Leonardo played 71 games for Valencia between 1991 and 1993, scoring six goals.

• Zlatan Ibrahimović spent 2009/10 with FC Barcelona, winning the league title and Spanish Super Cup. He did not face Valencia, but was in the Inter team beaten by the Spanish side in the 2006/07 round of 16.

• Mamadou Sakho, Blaise Matuidi and Jérémy Ménez helped France to a 1-1 draw against Spain in a FIFA World Cup qualifier at Madrid's Vicente Calderon on 16 October 2012.

• Adil Rami and substitute Ménez were in the France side beaten 2-0 by Spain in the UEFA EURO 2012 quarter-finals.

• Rami made 129 Ligue 1 appearances for LOSC between 2007 and 2011 and was in the team that beat PSG 1-0 in the French Cup final at the Stade de France on 14 May 2011. His last game came the following week when LOSC earned a 2-2 draw at the Parc des Princes to clinch their first league title in more than 50 years.

• Jérémy Mathieu played for FC Sochaux-Montbéliard between 2000 and 2005, when he moved to Toulouse FC until 2009. He stayed there until 2009 and was in the team that defeated PSG 1-0 on 29 October 2008.

• Aly Cissokho was at Olympique Lyonnais between 2009 and signing for Valencia last summer. His last game against PSG resulted in a thrilling 4-4 draw at the Stade de Gerland on 25 February 2012.

• Tino Costa enjoyed several seasons in the French lower divisions with RC Paris, Pau FC and FC Sète before signing for Montpellier in 2008, while Ricardo Costa spent the first six months of 2010 with LOSC.

• Sofiane Feghouli played for Grenoble Foot 38 between 2005 and 2010, enjoying a 1-0 win at the Parc des Princes on 27 September 2008.

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