Paris Saint-Germain head to Monaco for the first leg of their Champions League knockout phase playoff on Tuesday, aiming to overcome recent domestic struggles and internal criticisms. Manager Luis Enrique has dismissed concerns over team spirit following Ousmane Dembele's pointed remarks after a league defeat. The match at Stade Louis II kicks off at 20:00 GMT, with the winners advancing to face Barcelona or Chelsea in the last 16.
Paris Saint-Germain, the reigning Champions League holders, face AS Monaco in the knockout phase playoff first leg on February 17, 2026, at Stade Louis II. PSG arrive off a 3-1 Ligue 1 loss to Rennes on Friday, their third defeat of the year and sixth overall this season. The result prompted forward Ousmane Dembele to criticize his teammates' lack of unity in a post-match interview with Ligue 1+, stating, “We need to show more desire,” and emphasizing the need to prioritize the club over individual play to win titles.
Manager Luis Enrique downplayed the remarks during Monday's pre-match press conference, noting, “There's always a lot of noise around PSG, and we have to accept it.” He highlighted the team's motivation for the European clash despite the domestic setback, adding that PSG lost 1-0 to Monaco in November and expect a similar challenge. Enrique dismissed any disadvantage in facing a domestic rival, insisting, “It's football, it's the same thing, you have to try to do the same thing to win the match.”
Monaco, eighth in Ligue 1 and 20 points behind PSG, sit eighth in the league phase standings, four points and 10 places below their opponents. They drew 0-0 at Nice on February 8 before a 3-1 home win over Nantes on Friday, racing to a three-goal lead in 30 minutes via two goals from Simon Adingra and one from Denis Zakaria. Coach Sebastien Pocognoli expressed belief in his side, saying, “We have to believe, otherwise there’s no point in playing.” Zakaria added that Monaco must be “great” and play a “perfect game” to compete.
Injuries plague both teams: Monaco doubt Maghnes Akliouche (hip), Lamine Camara (ankle), and Ansu Fati (quad); PSG miss Fabian Ruiz (knee), Senny Mayulu (calf), and Quentin Ndjantou (hamstring), with Dembele a muscular doubt. Predicted lineups feature Monaco's Philipp Kohn in goal behind Vanderson, Teze, Kehrer, Henrique, Zakaria, Coulibaly, Fati, Golovin, Adingra, and Balogun; PSG's Matvei Safonov with Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes, Zaire-Emery, Vitinha, Neves, Doue, Dembele, and Kvaratskhelia.
This marks the first European meeting between the clubs. Monaco have lost their last five two-legged European ties and one of their last seven Champions League matches (W2 D4), while PSG have won six of their last seven knockout ties. The return leg is on February 25 at 20:00 GMT.
