The opening 25 minutes couldn’t have gone much worse for Paris Saint-Germain in Monaco on Tuesday night.
The Champions League holders found themselves 2–0 down, deflated by a penalty miss and were about to see their Ballon d’Or winner trudge off the field with yet another injury. Fortunately for Luis Enrique, he was able to replace Ousmane Dembélé with the sport’s next best thing.
Désiré Doué has had a relatively subdued 2025–26 season, flickering gloriously in spells, but the 20-year-old came to the fore when the Parisians needed him most in the principality. Doué scored twice and had a hand in Achraf Hakimi’s equaliser, as PSG rallied against the 10-man hosts to ensure they’ll take a lead back with them to Paris in their playoff tie.
While Enrique still has much to ponder, with his team failing to click in unison to the degree they did at this point last season, the holders, barring a collapse on home soil, will be involved in the round of 16.
Here are their potential opponents in the next phase.
Who Could PSG Face in the Champions League Round of 16?
There’s no simple path for the PSG in the last 16. Should they bypass Monaco in the first-ever meeting in a European competition between the two Ligue 1 rivals, they’ll face either Barcelona or Chelsea in the next round.
They’ve certainly gotten to know both clubs over the years, but Enrique’s side have particularly enjoyed their encounters with Barça in recent times. Their rivalry transcended the pitch as a result of Neymar’s world-record switch to Paris in 2017, but the pair also played out one of the most memorable Champions League knockout ties in the competition’s history.
Despite claiming a 4–0 first leg victory at the Parc des Princes, PSG capitulated late on in Catalonia as Sergi Roberto scored Barcelona’s sixth to complete ’La Remontada’ in the round of 16 nine years ago.
Since then, PSG have won both knockout ties rather handsomely, and they fought back from a goal down to beat Hansi Flick’s La Liga champions 2–1 at the start of this season’s league phase.
The Parisians once couldn’t escape Chelsea in the latter stages of this competition, facing off in three consecutive seasons in the mid-2010s, but their clash in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final was their first duel since 2016. The Blues thumped Enrique’s side 3–0 in New York last summer, as Cole Palmer stole the show amid a tactical exhibition from the now-departed Enzo Maresca.
Liam Rosenior is now at the helm, and he guided Chelsea into the last 16 by overseeing victories over Pafos and Napoli. An encounter with Enrique would doubtless be daunting for the Englishman, but the west Londoners are blessed with Champions League heritage.
Moreover, their two successes in this competition arrived after mid-season managerial changes.
PSG’s Head-to-Head Record vs. Potential Round of 16 Opponents
| Potential Opponents | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barcelona | 16 | 6 | 4 | 6 |
| Chelsea | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as PSG’s Potential Champions League Last 16 Opponents.
