Chelsea or Barça up next for the Parisians after narrow aggregate victory over Monaco

Although not by any means a vintage PSG performance, last night’s qualification was a relief for the Parisians who were pushed a bit closer than perhaps they expected by a fierce and determined Monaco side, who managed to draw at the Parc des Princes despite being down to ten men.

On Friday, they will discover who they will play in the next round, with Club World Cup Champions Chelsea and Spanish Champions Barcelona the two options. Both could represent tricky draws: Chelsea were the only major side to beat PSG in the 2024-25 season, thrashing them 3-0 in the final of the aforementioned Club World Cup, and are now managed by former Strasbourg boss Liam Rosenior, who hasn’t lost either of his last two games against Luis Enrique in Ligue 1, even beating PSG towards the end of last season.

Barça, meanwhile, still have one of the most devastating attacks in Europe, with Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Dani Olmo representing a front four that no team will fancy facing in the knockouts of this tournament, especially over two legs.

Furthermore, it must be added that yesterday’s display was hardly an especially convincing one: somewhat typical, perhaps, of PSG’s overall inconsistent form. Cynical fans will point out that Monaco had men sent off in both legs, without which PSG’s qualification would have been much less likely.

Once again, there will be a sense around Paris that if PSG are to recreate their exploits from last season, they will need to up the ante going forwards into the next round, and perhaps most importantly they will need to increase defensive solidarity – having conceded two goals in each leg to a Monaco attack who haven’t exactly set the world on fire this season.

Speaking after the game, Luis Enrique discussed fatigue, and the difficulty of maintaining a high level in football: "I don’t think so [That the players look tired]. When you reach the level that we did last year, everyone is expecting you to win 4-0, 5-0. You know how difficult professional football can be. I have to say that I’m happy with what I have seen today. I think our level is improving, offensively and defensively, on the ball and off the ball. It’s going to be tough, because this competition is so hard."

Perhaps PSG fans will be buoyed by Enrique’s bullish optimism. The Spanish coach and his players will now look forward to a trip to Le Havre in the weekend, before welcoming Monaco back to the Parc des Princes for what is effectively a rematch next Friday. Before that, however, they will have a keen eye on Friday’s Champions League draw ceremony that will decide their fate in Europe’s premier competition.