Paris Saint-Germain vs Real Madrid: UEFA Champions League background, form guide, previous meetings

Paris Saint-Germain face a high-stakes tie against Real Madrid as last season's beaten semi-finalists meet in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 for the second time.

• Madrid eliminated Paris at this stage of the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League en route to winning the competition for the third year running, although the French club had come out on top in the two previous knockout ties between the clubs.

• This season Paris were forced to settle for second place behind 2020/21 runners-up Manchester City in Group A, while Madrid held off Inter to claim first place in Group D.

Previous meetings
• Thomas Tuchel's Paris got the better of a Real Madrid side coached by Zinédine Zidane in the 2019/20 group stage, picking up four points from their two games. Goals from former Madrid midfielder Ángel Di María (14, 33) and Thomas Meunier (90+1) secured a 3-0 home win at the Parc des Princes on Matchday 1 before Kylian Mbappé (81) and Pablo Sarabia (83) rescued a point for Paris at the Santiago Bernabéu on Matchday 5 after Karim Benzema had scored twice for the Spanish side (17, 79).

• Four of the teams' previous ten matches have ended in a Real Madrid win – including three in a row before that 2019 loss in France – while Paris have three victories. Paris have, however, outscored their opponents, hitting 14 goals to Madrid's 13.

• This is the teams' second meeting in the UEFA Champions League round of 16, eventual champions Madrid winning 3-1 in Spain in 2017/18 with Marcelo on the scoresheet after Cristiano Ronaldo's double, and 2-1 in Paris, Ronaldo again and Casemiro finding the net for Madrid.

• Madrid's 2015/16 UEFA Champions League triumph had also featured a win against Paris, a 1-0 group stage victory at the Santiago Bernabéu in which Nacho got the only goal. The game at the Parc des Princes finished scoreless.

• Paris have lost three of their five away games against Madrid, the one victory their UEFA Cup Winners' Cup quarter-final first leg in March 1994 when George Weah scored the only goal at the Bernabéu in a tie Paris won 2-1 on aggregate.

• The French side produced a memorable comeback in the 1992/93 UEFA Cup quarter-finals, turning round a 3-1 loss in Spain with a 4-1 home victory. Three of the four goals at the Parc des Princes came from the 80th minute onwards; David Ginola (81) and Valdo (87) made it 3-0 to Paris on the night and, though Iván Zamorano levelled for Madrid on aggregate in added time, there was still time for Antoine Kombouaré to win the tie for Paris.

• Paris's win on 18 September 2019 is their only success in their last seven games against Madrid (D3 L3).

• Marcelo scored Madrid's goal in a 3-1 defeat by Paris in an Ohio friendly in 2016.

Form guide
Paris
• Paris picked up 11 points in this season's group stage, nine coming from their home matches where they beat Manchester City (2-0), Leipzig (3-2) and Club Brugge (4-1). They drew in Bruges (1-1) and Leipzig (2-2), losing 2-1 in Manchester on Matchday 5 to be confirmed in second place.

• Runners-up to Bayern München in the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League final, losing 1-0 in Lisbon, Paris again reached the latter stages of last season's competition.

• A team coached by Tuchel were first in Group H last season, picking up 12 points to finish level with Leipzig but above them on head-to-head record with Manchester United third and İstanbul Başakşehir fourth. Paris won four of their group games, losing at home to United and in Leipzig.

• With Mauricio Pochettino having replaced Tuchel, Paris got the better of Barcelona (4-1 a, 1-1 h) and Bayern (3-2 a, 0-1 h) in the knockout stages before losing to Manchester City in the semi-finals (1-2 h, 0-2 a).

• Paris were without a win in four UEFA Champions League games (D1 L3) before beating Manchester City 2-0 on Matchday 2. The Matchday 6 win against Club Brugge is one of only four in their last 11 matches (D3 L4).

• Paris have lost only six of their last 64 European home games (W41 D17), although four of those have come in their last 14 matches at the Parc des Princes including the two before they beat City on Matchday 2.

• This is the French side's tenth successive UEFA Champions League campaign and 14th in total, two behind Lyon's national record.

• Mbappé's opening goal on Matchday 6 was Paris's 250th in the UEFA Champions League, group stage to final.

• Although Paris missed out on the Ligue 1 title for only the second time in nine years in 2020/21, finishing second a point behind LOSC Lille, they did win the French Cup for the record 14th time overall and the sixth time in seven seasons.

• Paris's round of 16 record is W6 L3; last season's victory against Barcelona was their second in a row, a 2019/20 comeback win against Borussia Dortmund (1-2 a, 2-0 h) having ended a run of three consecutive round of 16 eliminations that started with a remarkable tie against Barcelona in 2016/17 (4-0 h, 1-6 a) and also included their 2017/18 loss against Madrid.

• The French club's record in two-legged ties against Spanish sides is W6 L4, last season's win against Barcelona ending a run of four defeats.

• The first leg against Barcelona last season is one of only three Paris wins in their last 13 matches against Spanish clubs, home and away (D3 L7).

• Paris have lost two of their last six games against Liga clubs at the Parc des Princes (W2 D2), where their overall record against Spanish visitors reads W8 D6 L3.

• The 4-0 first-leg win against Barcelona in 2017 is Paris's only success in their last six knockout matches against a Spanish side at the Parc des Princes (D3 L2).

Real Madrid
• Madrid won five of their six Group D games, the exception a stunning 2-1 defeat at home to debutants Sheriff on Matchday 2, as they finished first in their section for the third time in four seasons. Away from home they kept clean sheets in winning at Inter (1-0), Shakhtar Donetsk (5-0) and Sheriff (3-0).

• Under Zidane, Madrid also finished first in their section in 2020/21, picking up six of their ten points against Inter and sealing progress as group winners with a 2-0 home defeat of Borussia Mönchengladbach on Matchday 6.

• Madrid then won both legs against Atalanta in the round of 16 (1-0 a, 3-1 h) before eliminating Liverpool in the quarter-finals (3-1 h, 0-0 a). They lost to eventual champions Chelsea in the semi-finals (1-1 h, 0-2 a).

• Madrid have won eight of their last 14 UEFA Champions League away games (D2 L4).

• Zidane was replaced by former Paris coach Carlo Ancelotti in the summer, the Italian having guided Madrid to their tenth European Cup in 2013/14.

• The Spanish side were second in the 2020/21 Liga, finishing two points behind neighbours Atlético.

• Having reached the semi-finals or better for eight successive seasons between 2010/11 and 2017/18, Madrid lost in the last 16 against Ajax in 2018/19 and Manchester City the following season. Last season's win against Atalanta made their overall record at this stage W10 L8.

• Defeat in Paris on Matchday 1 in 2019/20 is Madrid's sole loss in their last 13 matches against French opposition (W8 D4), going back to a 1-0 loss at Lyon in the 2009/10 round of 16 first leg (1-2 aggregate).

• The Merengues had conceded only two goals in seven games against French sides before shipping five in their two matches against Paris two seasons ago; they scored 15 goals themselves in that seven-game period (W6 D1).

• Madrid's record away to Ligue 1 clubs is W6 D3 L7.

• While Madrid have lost two of their three two-legged knockout ties with Paris, their 2017/18 success made their overall knockout record against French clubs W4 L4.

Links and trivia
• Ancelotti was Paris coach between 30 December 2011 and 19 May 2013, winning the Ligue 1 title in his only full season in charge.

• Sergio Ramos scored 101 goals in 671 games for Madrid in all competitions between 2005 and leaving to join Paris in 2021. Two of those came in the club's UEFA Champions League final victories against Atlético de Madrid in 2014 and 2016, Ramos also appearing in the final victories in 2017 and 2018. He also won the UEFA Super Cup in 2014, 2016 and 2017 and the FIFA Club World Cup in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018 in addition to five Liga titles and the Copa del Rey in 2011 and 2014.

• Keylor Navas was in goal for Real Madrid's three successive UEFA Champions League victories between 2016 and 2018; he made 162 appearances for the Merengues between 2014 and joining Paris in 2019, winning the Liga title in 2016/17, two UEFA Super Cups (2014, 2017) and four FIFA Club World Cups (2014, 2016, 2017, 2018).

• Di María made 124 Liga appearances for Madrid between 2010 and 2015, scoring 22 goals, and was named Man of the Match as the Merengues lifted their tenth European title in 2014 with a 4-1 victory over neighbours Atlético.

• Ferland Mendy was a youth player at Paris between 2004 and 2012.

• Achraf Hakimi played 17 matches for Madrid in 2017/18, including two in the club's victorious UEFA Champions League campaign.

• Lionel Messi scored 672 goals in 778 games for Barcelona before joining Paris last summer, winning the UEFA Champions League in 2006, 2009, 2011 and 2015, three UEFA Super Cups and three FIFA Club World Cups. He also collected ten Liga titles and won the Copa del Rey seven times.

• Twenty-six of Messi's Barcelona goals came in his 45 meetings against Madrid, against whom his record was W19 D11 L15. No player has scored more in the Clásico.

• Messi scored twice in Barcelona's 2-0 win at Madrid in the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg, setting up a 3-1 aggregate victory.

• Have also played in Spain:
Neymar (Barcelona 2013–17)
Ander Herrera (Real Zaragoza 2008–11, Athletic Club 2011–14)

• Neymar's record against Madrid with Barcelona was W4 D1 L3, with three goals scored.

• Mauro Icardi played in Spain for Sarratea, Vecindario and Barcelona at youth level.

• Have played together:
Éder Militão & Danilo (Porto 2018/19)

• Benzema faced Paris seven times during his time in France with Lyon (W4 D2 L1). He was part of the Lyon team that beat Paris 1-0 in the Coupe de France final in May 2008.

• Have also played in France:
Ferland Mendy (Le Havre 2015–17, Lyon 2017–19)
Eduardo Camavinga (Rennes 2019–21)
Mariano Díaz (Lyon 2017/18)
Eden Hazard (LOSC Lille 2005–12)

• International team-mates:
Marquinhos, Neymar & Éder Militão, Casemiro, Marcelo, Rodrygo, Vinícius Júnior (Brazil)
Presnel Kimpembe, Kylian Mbappé, Laywin Kurzawa & Ferland Mendy, Karim Benzema, Eduardo Camavinga (France)
Colin Dagba & Eduardo Camavinga (France U21)
Sergio Ramos, Ander Herrera & Dani Carvajal, Nacho, Marco Asensio, Isco, Lucas Vázquez (Spain)
Julian Draxler, Thilo Kehrer & Toni Kroos (Germany)

• On 6 October 2021, Mbappé scored past Thibaut Courtois as France defeated Belgium 3-2 in the UEFA Nations League semi-final in Turin.

• Paris coach Pochettino had two spells in Spain as an Espanyol player, facing Madrid 16 times (W5 D2 L9) and scoring once. As Espanyol coach between 2009 and 2012, he lost all seven of his meetings with the Merengues.

• Pochettino was also in charge of the Tottenham side that drew 1-1 at Madrid in the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League group stage, the English club subsequently winning 3-1 at home.

• Draxler's Wolfsburg beat Madrid 2-0 in the first leg of the 2015/16 quarter finals; he was also in the side that succumbed in a 3-0 second-leg turnaround in Spain.

Latest news

Paris
• UEFA Champions League squad changes
In: None
Out: Teddy Alloh

• Paris have won seven of their ten games since Matchday 6, drawing the other three. They scored 21 goals in those seven victories and only two in the three games they failed to win.

• Kylian Mbappé scored the only goal in added time at home to Rennes on Friday evening.

• Mbappé reached 100 Ligue 1 goals for Paris with his double in a 2-0 win against former club Monaco on 12 December. He now has 103 goals in 129 league appearances for Paris and has scored 12 Ligue 1 goals and provided nine assists in his 22 league appearances this season.

• Mbappé's hat-trick in a 4-0 French Cup win at Vannes on 2 January made it 150 goals for Paris; the first goal was the 200th of his career for club and country.

• Eighteen-year-old midfielder Xavi Simons made his first Ligue 1 start for Paris against Rennes.

• The 2-1 loss at Manchester City on Matchday 5 is one of only three Paris defeats in all competitions this season, and their only reverse in normal time in their last 22 matches (W14 D7).

• Marquinhos made his 345th Paris appearance in a 2-0 Ligue 1 win at home to Brest on 15 January to go fourth in the club's all-time list; Jean-Marc Pilorget (435 appearances) holds the record.

• Marco Verratti scored his first Paris goal since 3 April 2019 in a 4-0 league win at home to Reims on 23 January, his tenth strike since joining in 2012. He then added another 23 minutes later.

• Paris were eliminated from the French Cup in the round of 16 on 31 January, losing 6-5 on penalties at home to Nice after a goalless draw. Leandro Paredes and Simons had their spot kicks saved by Marcin Bulka, who is on loan at Nice from Paris.

• It was Paris's first French Cup defeat since the 2019 final, also lost on penalties against Rennes, and the first time they had not scored in the competition since losing the 2011 final 1-0 to LOSC Lille. It was their earliest exit since 2008/09 and the first time they have not reached the final since 2014.

• Paris have lost only one of their 24 Ligue 1 games this season, winning 18. A 5-1 victory away to champions LOSC on 6 February and Friday's home win against Rennes have stretched their unbeaten run to 15 matches (W10 D5).

• Lionel Messi scored his second Ligue 1 goal at LOSC, making it 18 successive calendar years in which he has found the net in professional football.

• Presnel Kimpembe scored his first Ligue 1 goal for Paris at LOSC, on his 140th league appearance for the club.

• Idrissa Gueye and Abdou Diallo were both in Senegal's victorious CAF Africa Cup of Nations squad, Diallo scoring the first goal in a 3-1 semi-final win against Burkina Faso.

• Achraf Hakimi scored twice, both free-kicks, in five appearances as Morocco reached the quarter-finals.

• On 27 January, Ángel Di María scored Argentina's first goal in a 2-1 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying win in Chile. He captained Argentina in that game and the subsequent 1-0 home victory against Colombia.

• Di María was replaced shortly before half-time at LOSC due to a calf injury but came on as a substitute against Rennes.

• Neymar, who has not played since suffering an ankle injury in a 3-1 win at St-Étienne on 28 November, resumed individual training in late January.

• Georginio Wijnaldum also came on in the second half on Friday, his first appearance since being replaced at half-time with a left ankle problem in a 2-0 home win against against Brest on 15 January.

• Mauro Icardi was a late substitute against Rennes having been out since the Coupe de France tie against Nice with an injury to his left foot.

• Sergio Ramos has not played since the 4-0 league win over Reims on 23 January, a game in which he scored his first goal for Paris, due to a calf injury.

• Ander Herrera has missed Paris's last two games having suffered a left thigh injury on the eve of the match at LOSC.

Real Madrid
• UEFA Champions League squad changes
In: Peter*, Diego Piñeiro*
Out: None
*Registered to List B

• Luka Modrić made his 100th appearance in the UEFA Champions League, group stage to final, on Matchday 6; he is the 43rd player to reach a century.

• Lucas Vázquez has played 49 matches in the UEFA Champions League, group stage to final.

• David Alaba played in his 100th UEFA club competition match in the final round of group games; Gareth Bale will reach the same mark when he next features.

• Madrid's record since Matchday 6 is W8 D3 L2. They were held 0-0 at Villarreal on Saturday.

• A 1-0 loss at Getafe on 2 January is Madrid's only defeat in their last 16 Liga matches (W11 D4), and one of just two in the league this season.

• Madrid were knocked out of the Copa del Rey by a 1-0 quarter-final loss at Athletic Club on 3 February having previously won at Alcoyano (3-1) and Elche (2-1 aet).

• Eden Hazard got the winner at Elche, his first Madrid goal since May 2021.

• Carlo Ancelotti's side did, however, claim the Spanish Super Cup in January, beating Barcelona 3-2 after extra time in the semi-finals before securing a 2-0 victory against Athletic with goals from Modrić and Karim Benzema.

• Casemiro's goal earned Brazil a 1-1 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying draw in Ecuador on 27 January.

• Benzema has been sidelined by a hamstring injury since 23 January. The Frenchman has four goals in his last four Madrid appearances and 24 in all competitions for the club this season.

• Ferland Mendy (out since 30 January) and Mariano Díaz (5 January) have been sidelined by hamstring injuries.