Paris Saint-Germain vs Brest facts

Paris Saint-Germain are in pole position to reach the UEFA Champions League round of 16 for the 13th season in a row as they welcome Brest for the concluding leg of their all-French knockout phase play-off holding a 3-0 first-leg lead.

Vitinha's 21st-minute penalty was added to by two Ousmane Dembélé strikes in the first leg on 11 February to put Luis Enrique's side in a commanding position.

While this is the visitors' debut European campaign, Paris – who finished the league phase in 15th position on 13 points, the same total as their domestic rivals but three places higher – are hoping to avoid missing out on the Champions League round of 16 for the first time since 2011/12.

Previous meetings

The first leg was the teams' first European meeting.

Paris and Brest have faced each other in 42 domestic games, most recently on 1 February – a 5-2 Paris away victory in which Dembélé scored a hat-trick and Gonçalo Ramos got the visitors' other two goals. Romain Del Castillo and Ludovic Ajorque were on target for Brest.

Dembélé had scored twice in Paris' 3-1 victory at the Parc des Princes on 14 September. Fabián Ruiz got the home side's second goal, after Del Castillo's first-half penalty had put Brest in front.

Paris have 27 wins in their 43 fixtures against Brest, who have managed only four victories – and none since a 3-1 home victory on 26 January 1985. Paris' subsequent record in the fixture is W23 D8.

Overall Paris have scored 84 goals against Brest, who have managed 35.

Paris' home record against Brest is W13 D6 L1, the sole defeat in the second fixture – a 1-2 Ligue 1 loss on 12 September 1981.

A 2-2 Ligue 1 draw at the Parc des Princes last season – a match Paris had led 2-0 – is the only one of their last 19 games against Brest, home and away, the Parisians failed to win. It is also the only one of Paris' last nine games against Brest in the French capital that did not end in a home win.

Paris have won all four of their French Cup ties against Brest, most recently in the last 16 in 2023/24 when Gonçalo Ramos scored the final goal in a 3-1 home win.

Form guide

Paris Saint-Germain

Paris had never played Ligue 1 opponents in Europe before this tie.

This is Paris's 17th campaign in the Champions League proper, a new French record; they had previously been level with Lyon. They have featured every season since 2012/13, reaching the knockout stages in all 13 of those most recent campaigns.

Last season Les Parisiens beat Spanish pair Real Sociedad (4-1 aggregate) and Barcelona (6-4 aggregate) in the round of 16 and quarter-finals respectively, before losing to Borussia Dortmund in the last four (0-1 a, 0-1 h).

The French side have lost in the last 16 in five of their last eight Champions League campaigns.

The Parisians have won 19 of their last 42 European matches (D8 L15) and have been victorious in 49 of their last 79 home games (D20 L10), including against Girona (1-0) and Manchester City (4-2) this season. The 1-2 reverse to Atlético de Madrid was one of nine in their last 29 matches at the Parc des Princes.

Paris have won 17 of the 18 UEFA competition ties when they recorded a first-leg away victory, most recently in the 2020/21 round of 16 against Barcelona (4-1 a, 1-1 h) and quarter-final against Bayern (3-2 a, 0-1 h). The exception came against Manchester United in the 2018/19 round of 16, a tie they lost on away goals (2-0 a, 1-3 h). This is the first time they have won 3-0 in the away first leg.

Paris's record in one UEFA penalty shoot-out is W0 L1:
3-4 v Rangers, 2001/02 UEFA Cup third round

Brest

The first leg was Brest's first European match against a French club.

Leipzig, in 2017, are the only previous club to have made their European debut in the Champions League proper, an honour Brest have shared with Girona this season.

Éric Roy's side secured their place in the competition by finishing third in Ligue 1 in 2023/24 – the club's highest-ever final position. Their 61 points was also a club record.

Brest are one of five clubs to have made their Champions League debuts in 2024/25, along with Bologna, Aston Villa, Girona and Slovan Bratislava. Only Brest and Villa have reached the knockout rounds.

The French side's league phase record was W4 D1 L3. Away from home they won their first two games, at Salzburg (4-0) and Sparta Praha (2-1) but lost the next two, at Barcelona (0-3) – their first European defeat – and Shakhtar Donetsk (0-2).

Brest have never been involved in a European penalty shoot-out.

Links and trivia

Have played together:
Bradley Barcola & Romain Faivre (Lyon 2022/23)
Fabián Ruiz & Jonas Martin (Real Betis 2016/17)
Désiré Doué & Ibrahim Salah (Rennes 2023/24)

International team-mates:
Désiré Doué, Warren Zaïre-Emery & Bradley Locko (France Under-23)

Roy's record as a coach against Paris is W1 D2 L8, the sole victories in his first game, Nice's 1-0 home Ligue 1 success on 20 October 2010. He has lost all six of his games against Paris with Brest.

Paris coach Luis Enrique has yet to lose against Brest (W5 D1).

Latest news

Paris

A Fabián Ruiz goal was enough to give Paris a 1-0 win at Toulouse on Saturday.

Paris were 4-1 winners at home to Monaco on 7 February, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scoring his first goal for his new club.

Ousmane Dembélé scored Paris' last two goals, the first leg against Brest the eighth consecutive match in which he had found the net – a run of 15 goals, including ten in four appearances – before he failed to find the net as a substitute on Saturday.

Dembélé has 16 Ligue 1 goals this season having managed three in 2023/24 and 24 in all competitions this season; his previous best was 14 for Barcelona in 2018/19. His 15 goals in nine appearances in 2025 is two more than he managed in 42 games in 2024.

Dembélé became the first Paris player to score hat-tricks in consecutive games with his three goals in a 5-2 victory at Brest on 1 February.

A 1-1 Ligue 1 draw at home to Reims on 25 January is the only one of Paris' last 12 games in all competitions they have not won.

Presnel Kimpembe, who had not played since 26 February 2023 with a ruptured Achilles, came on as late substitute in a 2-0 win at Le Mans on 4 February.

Warren Zaïre-Emery has not played since spraining an ankle at Stuttgart.

Paris announced on 7 February that Luis Enrique had signed a contract extension until 2027 and that Yoram Zague (2028) and Achraf Hakimi, Vitinha and Nuno Mendes (all 2029) had also penned new deals.

Brest

On Friday Brest twice came from behind to draw 2-2 at home to Auxerre.

Ludovic Ajorque got the second equaliser to make it eight goals in his last ten league appearances. He is Brest's top scorer in Ligue 1 on ten, but has yet to find the net in the Champions League.

The game was Éric Roy's 77th as Brest coach in Ligue 1, overtaking Alain de Martigny's club record that had stood since 1982.

Brest have won three of their last eight games in all competitions (D1 L4).

Ibrahim Salah went off midway through the first half on Friday having picked up a leg injury.

Romain Del Castillo has missed the last three games with a knee problem.

A muscle injury has sidelined Jonas Martin since 29 November.