Paris Saint-Germain faces Chelsea in the Round of 16 of the 2025-2026 Champions League (first leg on March 11 at the Parc des Princes, second leg on March 17 at Stamford Bridge). Christophe Jallet, former right-back who notably played for PSG and is now a pundit for Canal+ (broadcaster of the Champions League and the Premier League), shared his insights on how PSG could qualify with the newspaper Le Parisien.
Jallet: “Paris will have to be at 100%, if not more, if they want to advance.”
“They are a tough opponent with players capable of making a real impact. Enzo Fernandez, Caicedo, Fofana, Reece James… These guys really pack a punch, and we see that regularly in high-intensity Premier League matches. There’s also Cucurella, who is an atypical player but who represents this Chelsea team that knows how to rise to the occasion and show real commitment.” Paris will have to be at 100%, if not more, if they want to get through to the next round.
Jallet: “They need to be effective in both penalty areas to punish them.”
A weakness?
They sometimes have lapses in concentration. Paris will control the game and will really need to be effective in both penalty areas to punish them. There’s an opportunity because Chelsea isn’t exactly a top team in the league, even though we might have thought they would bounce back after the World Cup. They haven’t managed to find that consistency with an extremely large squad, egos, and players to manage who aren’t necessarily used to playing together. They lack consistency from one match to the next, but also within the same match. Cole Palmer is a good example of this: he has moments of excellence but also many poor spells. “
Obviously, PSG will no longer have any room for error due to the inefficiency that plagued their end of the league phase, nor because of the recent dips in intensity. There are circumstances that explain this, but it won’t change the outcome. Paris must find the resources for two top-level performances. There is reason to be hopeful.
In particular, because the Parisian staff has very likely planned their season management to focus on building momentum for this final sprint, often emphasized by coach Luis Enrique. He claims to be reaching the most crucial moment of the season. Of course, injuries pose a real challenge. But there are solutions, and the return of João Neves, Ousmane Dembélé, and Senny Mayulu is expected in the coming days.
Not to mention that PSG is still capable of a very high level of play and has shown this, notably in the Champions League. It’s just that they lacked efficiency in the last few league matches.” We need to find that spark for the matches against Chelsea. They’ll be a team that poses a significant physical challenge, but they’re not perfect either. Their coaching change a few weeks ago (Liam Rosenior replaced Enzo Maresca) is proof of that. Nothing will be easy, but Paris has a chance.
