(Football news) The sides square off in the French capital ahead of the rematch in Italy’s second city the following month. PSG is looking to get back from a humiliating loss to Milan in Group F, while Milan is looking for their first victory.

Newcastle United battered Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month, exposing the French champions’ weaknesses repeatedly at a boisterous St James’ Park. Paris Saint-Germain conceded four goals in a Champions League group game for the first time in almost 20 years.

Despite Lucas Hernandez cutting the deficit immediately after, Fabian Schar’s late goal condemned the French champions to a humiliating 4-1 loss. The team had already been down two goals just before the half, and any chance of rallying was all but destroyed in the 50th minute.

While many fans were quick to criticise the strategies of coach Luis Enrique, who has needed some time to adjust to his new circumstances, plenty of post-match derision was reserved for a few players who did not play to their potential.

The only team with a better average possession rate in the Champions League this season is Manchester City. PSG’s 73% share versus Newcastle was their third-highest ever, but similar to Enrique’s recent Spain teams, that hasn’t always translated into wins.

The Ligue 1 team defeated Borussia Dortmund at home to start the tournament. However, they will be eager to avoid defeat this week given they haven’t lost back-to-back in the group stage since 2004 – the last time they were eliminated.

Enrique’s team has responded to their defeat in England by winning back-to-back league games either side of the international break. They most recently defeated Strasbourg 3-0 on Saturday, with Kylian Mbappe scoring the game’s first goal with a penalty, and have now closed the gap on leaders Monaco to two points.

After a lacklustre start to the season, Les Parisiens may now look forward to another victory at Parc des Princes, where, in the eleven years since they started playing regularly in the Champions League, they have won no fewer than 27 group games and only lost one.

To accomplish so, though, will require them to break their losing streak against Milan in Europe’s premier club competition. The teams drew twice in 2000–01 and lost both legs of their 1995 semi-final match. 

In addition to their past success against Wednesday’s hosts, Milan has only lost three of its sixteen Champions League meetings with French teams overall, the most notable of which was the 1993 final against PSG’s bitter rivals Marseille. After starting their Group F campaign with consecutive 0-0 draws, they are looking for another strong outcome when they cross the border this year.

In fact, the Rossoneri have now gone four games without a goal in the Champions League, which is the longest stretch without a goal in the club’s lengthy history in European play. This includes a 3-0 aggregate loss to longtime rivals Inter in the semi-finals of last season.

Only Real Madrid and Manchester City have had more shots than Milan, which has resulted in a marked lack of accuracy. However, after their most recent match, which ended in a draw with Borussia Dortmund, the Italian powerhouses are still goalless.

However, Stefano Pioli’s team hasn’t given up in any of their previous four group-stage games, so the seven-time European winners ought to be difficult to overcome in Paris.

On Sunday night, the theme of failing in the opposition area persisted as Juventus, who are expected to compete for the Scudetto, defeated the hosts 1-0 at San Siro after the hosts had been reduced to 10 men in the first half.

Owing to absences, third-choice goalkeeper Antonio Mirante entered the game and was only defeated by a deflected strike from former Milan midfield player Manuel Locatelli, who, interestingly, had won their match seven years prior.

This season, Milan has only lost twice in nine Serie A games (the other being a 5-1 annihilation by Inter); yet, they have won every other game and are currently only slightly behind their city rivals in the standings. It will be interesting to see if Pioli’s revamped Rossoneri can defeat clubs of a comparable calibre the week they take on Napoli, the reigning Scudetto winners.
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