This Wednesday at 9pm (CET), Paris Saint-Germain (1st in Ligue 1) will face Chelsea (6th in the Premier League) at the Parc des Princes in the first leg of the round of 16 (second leg on March 17) of the 2025-2026 Champions League. In a press conference, Malo Gusto, the 23-year-old Blues defender, spoke about this match and the Parisian opponent, looking back on last summer’s 3-0 victory in the Club World Cup final.
Malo Gusto: “We have to show our best level and quality tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow, the context will be completely different. It’s the Champions League, it’s so different. We beat them in the Club World Cup. I don’t think it will have an impact. We have to show our best level and quality tomorrow. Anything can happen, we know how football is. The performance has to last 90 minutes, and there are two matches. We have to focus on this one and see how the next one goes.”
Malo Gusto: “Getting sent off during a match is always difficult.”
“Red cards? It’s an aspect of the discipline that we absolutely have to improve. Getting sent off during a match is always difficult, obviously. It has to improve. Without red cards, it would be much better, of course.”
After their 4-0 victory in the Club World Cup, Chelsea will undoubtedly arrive with a boost of confidence. They found the ingredients to beat PSG and will certainly want to repeat that performance. For their part, the capital club also knows the mistakes to avoid against this Blues team, tough in the tackle and formidable on the counter-attack.
This Wednesday will be the first match of a hard-fought double-header. PSG, currently going through a difficult period, will have to raise their game to get the best possible result at home. As the defending champions, the Parisians must live up to their status and deliver a top-class performance against the English club.
