Champions League Matchday 4: Villarreal vs Paris Saint-Germain facts

Villarreal are the latest team to try to halt Paris Saint-Germain's winning run in the UEFA Champions League as the sides meet in Spain on Matchday 4.

Previous meetings

This is the first time the clubs have met.

Villarreal are unbeaten in their two matches against French clubs in the Champions League proper, drawing 0-0 away and winning 1-0 at home versus Lille in the 2005/06 group stage.

Villarreal have won three of their last four European games against French teams (L1); this is their first contest since losing 3-5 on aggregate to Marseille in the 2023/24 UEFA Europa League round of 16 (0-4 a, 3-1 h).

A 4-2 home victory against Barcelona on Matchday 3 means Paris have won nine of their last 15 games against Spanish sides (D3 L3), and six of the last nine (D1 L2).

Paris are unbeaten in four away matches against Spanish clubs (W3 D1), most recently drawing 0-0 at Athletic Club on Matchday 6 in 2025/26.

Form guide

Villarreal

Villarreal are in the Champions League for the sixth time; last season was their first appearance since 2021/22, when they equalled their best run by reaching the semi-finals. This is the first time they have qualified in successive seasons.

The Spanish side finished 35th in last season's league phase (D1 L7).

Paris

This is Paris's 19th campaign in the Champions League proper. They have featured every season since 2012/13, reaching the knockout stages in all 14 of those most recent campaigns.

Eleventh in last season's league phase (W4 D2 L2), Luis Enrique's side beat Monaco (5-4 aggregate), Chelsea (8-2), Liverpool (4-0) and Bayern München (6-5) to reach a second successive final, where they overcame Arsenal 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Budapest.

The Parisiens were only the second team to retain the Champions League, after Real Madrid (2016, 2017, 2018), and the 14th club to win multiple European Cups.

Paris kicked off this season by beating Aston Villa 2-1 to win the UEFA Super Cup for the second time having also lifted it in 2025.

Links and trivia

Fabián Ruiz made his first top-flight appearance against Villarreal, coming on as a Real Betis substitute in a 1-1 draw in August 2015.

Ousmane Dembélé produced four goal contributions in eight Liga appearances against Villarreal for Barcelona.

Villarreal's Nicolas Pépé has played Paris with French sides Angers, Lille and Nice. In his sole victory against Paris, he scored one and provided two assists in a 5-1 Lille win in April 2019.

Villarreal goalkeeper Péter Gulácsi faced Paris in three consecutive Champions League seasons between 2019/20 and 2021/22 while at Leipzig. His record was W1 D1 L3, with ten goals conceded; he featured in a 2-2 draw on this day in 2021.

A 3-4 defeat at Liverpool last time out – a game they led 2-0 – was Villarreal's 11th loss in their last 14 Champions League matches (W1 D2), the sole success 3-1 at home to Napoli in their preceding fixture.

Villarreal have not kept a clean sheet in their last 14 Champions League fixtures, a club record.

The Spanish side's last ten Champions League matches have produced 38 goals, an average of 3.8 per game.

None of Villarreal's last 34 games in the Champions League proper finished goalless.

The home win against Barcelona made it 13 Champions League matches without defeat for Paris (W9 D4), equalling the club record set from 2012/13 to 2013/14.

In UEFA competition overall, Paris have lost one of their last 17 matches (W11 D5).

Paris' last six Champions League matches have produced 32 goals, an average of 5.33 per game.

The French side have lost only one of their last ten away Champions League games (W7 D2).

The 0-0 draw at Athletic Club in December 2025 is Paris' only stalemate in their last 121 European games.

Dembélé has scored 21 Champions League goals for Paris, behind only Neymar (22), Edinson Cavani (30) and Kylian Mbappé (42).

Vitinha has scored in his last two Champions League appearances. He now has 12 goals in the competition overall, one behind Deco who is in fourth place among Portuguese scorers in the Champions League proper.