PSGvs.Lille

Both clubs will be in Champions League last 16 action in midweek, with Lille having their request to postpone this match, citing the lack of time between this fixture and their trip to Borussia Dortmund, rejected by the LFP.

Match preview

PSG will want the games to keep on coming following their astonishing run of form which makes them the most in-form side across Europe.

Luis Enrique's men have now won all but one of their last 19 matches in all competitions (a 1-1 draw with Reims), scoring a remarkable 61 goals in the process.

The French giants enjoyed a second midweek 7-0 win in February on Wednesday night, thrashing lower-league Stade Briochin to reach the Coupe de France semi-finals.

With Reims, Dunkerque and fourth-tier Cannes the three other teams remaining, PSG are now resounding favourites to complete a domestic double this season, as they also extended their lead at the top of Ligue 1 to 13 points last weekend.

After watching Marseille lose heavily at Auxerre, Enrique's side took advantage, winning 3-2 away to Lyon, with the title set to be confirmed as soon as early April, given the gap at the top.

PSG now return to home soil, which has been quite uncommon in recent weeks, as they have only played twice at the Parc des Princes in just over a month, beating fellow Champions League competitors Brest and Monaco, scoring 11 goals.

They will now face France's other representative in that competition in the form of Lille, a side they have reigned supreme over in recent years.

The hosts have scored 25 goals in their last seven league meetings with Les Dogues, and have only lost one of the previous 28 clashes in the capital, and that was behind closed doors in 2021.

PSG will have one eye on their heavyweight clash with Liverpool on Wednesday, but Lille have a match 24 hours sooner to worry about, with Bruno Genesio's men having just two days to prepare for their clash with Dortmund after this conclusion of this match.

Avoiding the knockout playoffs in Europe means Lille have had all of February to focus on maintaining their push for the top four, and that additional preparation time has proved decisive, especially after a crucial 2-1 win over Monaco last weekend, thanks to Hakon Arnar Haraldsson's first-half double.

After a run of just three wins in 10 games, Genesio has since led his side to three wins in their last four, taking them above Monaco into fourth, and just two points shy of the automatic UCL places.

It now looks like it will be four from five who reach the top table of European football, with Lyon faltering, but while Lille are in the driving seat, they now have to take on the biggest challenge in French football.

Paris Saint-Germain Ligue 1 form:

W

D

W

W

W

W

Paris Saint-Germain form (all competitions):

W

W

W

W

W

W

Lille Ligue 1 form:

W

L

W

L

W

W

Lille form (all competitions):

W

W

L

L

W

W

Team News

Enrique was able to rest most of his strongest XI in midweek, and the second-string side produced the goods, beating Briochin 7-0, meaning some may get another opportunity in the side, especially with the Liverpool game on the horizon.

Goncalo Ramos netted a hat trick in the cup, and could keep his place if Enrique opts to hold Ousmane Dembele back for midweek, after he only started on the bench on Wednesday along with Bradley Barcola, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes and Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Warren Zaire-Emery had been the only notable injury concern but he returned as a substitute on Wednesday, but Vitinha and Lee Kang-in were left out of the squad with minor knocks.

Lille were rocked by the news in midweek that Edon Zhegrova confirmed he wants to leave the club in the summer and will not be signing a new contract.

Along with Jonathan David, Zhegrova has been a key player in attack for Lille this season, but he has missed the last two months with a groin issue, and he will not feature in this one, as well as the first leg with Dortmund on Tuesday.

Remy Cabella is a doubt with a hamstring problem, while Samuel Umtiti and Tiago Santos remain out long term with serious knee injuries.

Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:

Safonov; Hakimi, Lucas Beraldo, Pacho, Hernandez; Zaire-Emery, Fabian Ruiz, Mayulu; Doue, Goncalo Ramos, Kvaratskhelia

Lille possible starting lineup:

Chevalier; Meunier, Alexsandro, Diakite, Gudmundsson; Bouaddi, Andre, Mukau, Haraldsson; David, Akpom

We say: Paris Saint-Germain 4-1 Lille

PSG have thrashed almost all oncomers in 2025, and even impressive outfits Monaco and Brest have suffered sobering beatings here of late, illustrating the task ahead of Lille.

Written by

Andrew Delaney

Previews by email