Tomorrow night, Chelsea will be visiting the Parc des Princes as a seeded team for what promises to be one of the standout last-16 ties in this season's UEFA Champions League. Thanks to league-phase results that included a 3-0 win over Barcelona and a 3-2 victory over Napoli, the Londoners finished among the top eight and therefore qualified directly for this stage of the competition. In fact, the Blues have lost just three of their last 15 games, with all three of these defeats being to Arsenal by a single goal.
For the rest, they have a record of 10 wins and two draws over the period. Paris Saint-Germain will therefore have to take inspiration from the Gunners if they want to defeat their next opponent. The Rouge et Bleu faced a strong Monaco side in the round of 16 play-offs and Luis Enrique's men did what was needed to win on the Rock (2-3), before securing their qualification at home (2-2).
2 – Chelsea (24 years and 31 days) and Paris Saint-Germain (24 years and 195 days) are the two teams with the youngest average starting lineups in the Champions League this season.
3 – Paris have qualified in its last three two-legged knockout matches in the Champions League against English clubs, all last season (Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Arsenal).
6 – Since their last match against the Rouge et Bleu on the European stage in March 2016, Chelsea have won all six of their Champions League matches against French clubs (four against Lille and two against Rennes).
10 – The last meeting between Paris and Chelsea in the Champions League was 10 years ago, during the 2015-2016 season, with Paris qualifying against the Blues in the round of 16.
In the London team's goal, Liam Rosenior will have to make a tough decision: whether to maintain his faith in Spanish international Robert Sánchez, or shake things up by selecting Danish international Filip Jørgensen. Competition between the two goalkeepers has intensified in recent weeks, and the same is true in central defense. In the absence of Levi Colwill, another England international, Trevoh Chalobah, seems to have taken on the role of leader. Alongside him, the Blues' coaching staff have plenty of options, with Tosin Adarabioyo, Mamadou Sarr, and two French internationals: Benoît Badiashile and Wesley Fofana.
The latter, who came through the ranks at Saint-Étienne, is expected to start against Paris. On the left side of defence, Marc Cucurella is expected to start, having established himself as one of the best players in the world in his position. The Spanish international should be preferred to the promising Jorrel Hato, while uncertainty still hangs over the opposite side. Will Blues captain Reece James start in his preferred position, or will he be moved to midfield, leaving his place to former Lyon player Malo Gusto?
This is another important decision that the English coach will have to make, as he has plenty of options in midfield. While Moisés Caicedo and Enzo Fernández are indispensable to their team and will be two key players for Chelsea, the identity of the third man to complete the midfield is still to be decided. If Reece James is ultimately selected as right-back, then Brazilian international Andrey Santos would be the favourite to complete the London midfield. Capable of playing as an attacking midfielder, Cole Palmer (10 goals and 3 assists in all competitions this season) could then start on the right wing.
Leading the English side's attack, Chelsea's number 10 would replace Brazilian international Estêvão (7 goals, 3 assists), who has been absent from recent matches but could make an appearance during the game. The same goes for the left flank with the mercurial Jamie Gittens, who could make his return to the squad but is likely to start on the bench, along with Alejandro Garnacho, making way for Portuguese international Pedro Neto (10 goals, 5 assists). Finally, at the front of the London attack, João Pedro (18 goals, 9 assists) is naturally expected to feature. The Brazilian international is in great form and will be one to watch, likely to be preferred to Liam Delap or Marc Guiu.
