Champions League
2026-03-17 - Chelsea vs Paris Saint-Germain
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: UEFA Champions League Last 16 Second Leg
Tuesday 17th March 2026 - Kick Off 8pm
This game is live on TV
Chelsea
It has been a difficult week for Liam Rosenior and the Chelsea squad having suffered a couple of defeats to Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle United in fixtures they will feel they deserved much more. The 5-2 loss in the French capital has given Chelsea a mountain to climb in their bid to reach the Champions League Last 16 and the pressure is building in the race to return to that competition through the English Premier League finish.
Results are all that will matter in terms of Liam Rosenior's long-term prospects as being Chelsea manager, but his team have one foot out of this competition following the late goals conceded in the First Leg last week. The Blues will hold onto to the fact they have won all 4 home Champions League games played this season and have scored 10 goals and conceded just once in those matches.
Chelsea have won 1 of the last 6 games in all competitions in normal time, but the underlying numbers of recent matches suggest they have been pretty hard done by. The manager needs to see more in the final third, especially at Stamford Bridge where Chelsea have failed to win their last 3 games in all competitions and scored just three times.
Pedro Neto was serving a suspension this past weekend and his status for this one remains uncertain after UEFA announced they were investigating his spat with a ball boy during the First Leg. The likes of Estevao are back in training, but Reece James missed out on Monday and may not be available.
Paris Saint-Germain
If you just picked up the newspaper and read the final scoreline from the First Leg of this Last 16 tie, you may believe Paris Saint-Germain had been a dominant winner much as they had been during the Knock Out run to the Champions League success last season. However, it was a game that was very much in the balance until two late goals have given the defending Champions a buffer that should be enough to see them through.
We have not really seen Paris Saint-Germain at the same level as twelve months ago though and Luis Enrique will be reminding his players that this is not an unsurmountable lead to take to West London. The club know all about that having lost a Knock Out tie in the Champions League after a 4-0 home win in the First Leg (Barcelona in 2017), but Paris Saint-Germain have only lost 1 of the 5 away Champions League games played this season and won 3 times.
Paris Saint-Germain have won 4 of the last 6 games in all competitions and they also benefit by having been given the weekend off by the French Football Association. The side have won 6 of the last 8 away games in all competitions too, but the exceptions in that run have been defeats at Sporting Lisbon and Rennes, while Monaco led Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 at home in the Knock Out Play Off Round before capitulating in the second half.
The squad looks to have come out of the First Leg unscathed and so a strong team is travelling to West London.
Head to Head
Chelsea have to take something from the fact they beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the Club World Cup Final last summer.
However, in the 4 meetings at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea have won once and Paris Saint-Germain won the most recent in March 2016.
Prediction
The feeling is that the other Champions League tie being played in London on Tuesday evening could be a tight, competitive battle, but the one in West London may just pick up from where these two teams left off last week.
Liam Rosenior has to be really disappointed that a strong Chelsea effort and performance was not rewarded as they deserved.
Losing two late goals makes this is a very tough task, but Chelsea supporters will note that the team beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the Club World Cup Final last summer and that there is still some hope left, despite the 5-2 defeat in the French capital.
Scoring first is important and Chelsea would like to do that as early as possible too, but the balance between attack and defence has to be better than in the First Leg.
Mistakes at the back were costly for Chelsea and they cannot afford too many more of those, but this Paris Saint-Germain are not looking nearly as strong as the one that won the Champions League in 2025.
Last month they were 2-0 down at Monaco in the Knock Out Play Off Round First Leg and Paris Saint-Germain struggled to contain the Chelsea attack in front of the home fans.
Luis Enrique can look for his team to show a bit more patience with a three goal lead to protect, but it is a natural reaction for Paris Saint-Germain to get forward and that could allow both teams to settle down into another attacking affair.
You do have to wonder if Chelsea would have much left to give if they conceded first on Tuesday, but if they can get in front and create the chances they were last week, it could lead to an open fixture and one that reaches at least a four goal total again.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Chelsea 3-2 Paris Saint-Germain
