This Tuesday, Paris Saint-Germain faces Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the second leg of their 2025-2026 Champions League Round of 16 tie (PSG won the first leg 5-2) (kick-off at 9 pm, CET). PSG coach Luis Enrique must choose his starting eleven, taking into account the opponent, upcoming matches, and the risk of suspensions, after having selected the PSG squad for this encounter.
There are always doubts surrounding PSG’s lineup, even though there’s a kind of “first-choice” team in the Champions League. But this squad, with its versatility and competition for places, offers various options. It’s hard to imagine Khvicha Kvaratskhelia being on the bench again after his exceptional performance as a substitute in the first leg.
However, a suitable position needs to be found for him, and a player must be dropped. The Georgian, like Désiré Doué and Bradley Barcola, prefers to play on the left wing. He often struggles more to make an impact on the right wing. But so does Barcola.
Doué was less convincing in the first leg, but he also did a great job against the press and in the collective effort. He could move into midfield, as Warren Zaïre-Emery is struggling physically after more than 30 consecutive starts. But he’s also more accustomed to defending and winning back possession. It’s difficult to find the best formula, but we trust Luis Enrique.
Possible lineup:
Barcola – Dembélé – Kvaratskhelia
Neves – Vitinha – Doué
Mendes – Pacho – Marquinhos – Hakimi
Safonov
Substitutes – Chevalier, Marin, Beraldo, Hernandez, Zabarnyi, Dro, Lee, Mayulu, Zaïre-Emery, Mbaye, Ramos.
Unavailable – Ndjantou, Ruiz (injuries).
Possible suspensions for yellow cards:
For PSG: Nuno Mendes and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
For Chelsea: Andrey Santos and Enzo Fernandez.
It would be effective for the first leg of the quarter-final on April 7th or 8th.
