Champions League knockout phase play-off first leg: Monaco vs Paris Saint-Germain facts

For the second season running Paris Saint-Germain face an all-French tie in the UEFA Champions League knockout phase play-offs as they visit Stade Louis II to take on Monaco.

Holders Paris finished 11th in the league phase on 14 points (W4 D2 L2). Monaco reached this stage for the second season running by collecting ten points (W2 D4 L2), leaving them in 21st position.

Last match

This is the teams' first European meeting.

Both clubs have previously faced French opposition in Europe: Monaco were eliminated 2-3 on aggregate by Marseille in the 1998/99 UEFA Cup third round (2-2 h, 0-1 a), while Paris defeated Brest 10-0 on aggregate at this stage of last season's Champions League (3-0 a, 7-0 h).

Takumi Minamino's second-half goal gave Monaco a 1-0 home win against Paris in Ligue 1 on 29 November. The Parc des Princes return is scheduled for 8 March.

Monaco's success in November ended a run of three successive defeats – and five games without a win (D1 L4) – against Paris.

Monaco

This is Monaco's 11th appearance in the Champions League proper – last season was their first since 2018/19.

The French club finished 17th in the 2024/25 league phase (W4 D1 L3) before being eliminated by Benfica in the knockout phase play-offs (0-1 h, 3-3 a).

Paris 

This is Paris' 18th campaign in the Champions League proper. They have featured every season since 2012/13, reaching the knockout stages in the last 14 campaigns.

Fifteenth in last season's league phase (W4 D1 L3), Luis Enrique's side beat Brest (10-0 aggregate), Liverpool (1-1, 4-1 pens), Aston Villa (5-4) and Arsenal (3-1) to reach the showpiece in Munich, where their 5-0 win against Inter was the biggest final victory in European Cup history.

Key stats

Monaco defender Thilo Kehrer made 128 appearances, including 20 in the Champions League, across four seasons with Paris between 2018 and 2022.

A 0-0 draw at home to Juventus on Matchday 8 made it one defeat in Monaco's last seven Champions League games (W2 D4).

Sebastien Pocognoli's team have kept four clean sheets in their last six matches in the competition.

Monaco are unbeaten in their last four home Champions League fixtures (W1 D3), keeping clean sheets in the most recent three.

Last season's defeat by Benfica was Monaco's fifth successive two-legged loss in UEFA competition.

Paris, who drew 1-1 at home to Newcastle on Matchday 8, have lost only two of their last 12 European games (W7 D3).

Enrique oversaw seven wins in Paris' nine knockout matches last season (L2).

Paris have won six of their last seven Champions League knockout ties, including all four in 2024/25.