Paris Saint-Germain have received approval from the Ligue de Football Professionnel to postpone their Ligue 1 match against FC Nantes, scheduled between their Champions League last-16 legs against Chelsea. The decision allows the club more preparation time for the return fixture at Stamford Bridge. The move has drawn criticism from other French teams involved in European competitions.
Paris Saint-Germain, the defending Champions League champions, will face Chelsea in the round-of-16 ties next month. The first leg is set for March 11 at the Parc des Princes, with the return on March 17 at Stamford Bridge. This matchup repeats the 2025 Club World Cup final, where Chelsea won 3-0 with goals from Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro.
PSG secured their place in the last 16 by advancing past Monaco in a play-off. They won the first leg 3-2 away at the Stade Louis II, despite Monaco playing with 10 men after the break. The return leg ended 2-2 at home, with Monaco's Mamadou Coulibaly sent off on the hour mark, giving PSG a 5-4 aggregate victory.
The club won the Champions League last season with a 5-0 final victory over Inter at the Allianz Arena. Scorers included Achraf Hakimi, Desire Doue (twice), Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Senny Mayulu.
Originally, PSG's Ligue 1 game against Nantes was slated for March 14, sandwiched between the Champions League fixtures. On Friday, PSG requested a postponement from the LFP to better prepare for the second leg. Nantes agreed, and the LFP confirmed the decision on Saturday.
"At the request of Paris Saint-Germain in order to prepare in the best possible conditions for its two-legged tie with Chelsea in the Champions League Round of 16, the LFP Board of Directors, with the agreement of FC Nantes, has decided that the PSG - FC Nantes match will be played the week of April 20," the statement read. "The exact date and time of this match will be determined later."
The postponement has not been well-received by other French clubs. Lyon, Strasbourg, and Lille, participating in the Europa League and Conference League, did not make similar requests. Chelsea, meanwhile, will play their Premier League match against Newcastle that weekend.
PSG has successfully requested similar delays before. Last season, their game against Nantes was postponed between quarter-final legs against Aston Villa, and in 2023-24, their match with Nice was delayed ahead of semi-finals against Borussia Dortmund. However, they lost those subsequent European ties.
The winner of the PSG-Chelsea matchup will face either Liverpool or Galatasaray in the quarter-finals. Luis Enrique, PSG's coach, commented on the draw: "The Champions League draw is difficult, as usual. We don’t expect anything different. We are pleased. It will be interesting to play against one of the best English teams, who we know well. There is no feeling of revenge for us. This is a different competition. This is our pathway and we are used to it. We are the champions at the moment in this competition, so the problem is for all the other teams. They have to play against us, that is what I think."
