Ligue des champions sees PSG dominate yet fear a brutal round‑of‑16 draw

Paris Saint‑Germain have already dispatched Manchester City (4‑2 at the Etihad) and Barça (4‑2 at the Parc des Princes) and on Tuesday night in Spain added a 6‑0 victory over Villarreal, leaving them sole leaders of their Ligue des champions group with twelve points.

Luis Enrique's side raced to a 4‑0 lead before the 20th minute, with Joao Neves scoring in the ninth minute, Désiré Doué in the twelfth, Senny Mayulu in the thirteenth and Fabian Ruiz in the seventeenth. The win gave PSG twelve points, guaranteeing progression to the knockout phase. They will now aim to finish in the top two in January, pending results against Roma, Aston Villa, Côme and Galatasaray.

Finishing top of the group secures home advantage in every knockout round up to the final at the Metropolitano in Madrid. The draw could still pit PSG against a strong side in the round of 16, as the top two are matched with winners of playoffs between the 15th‑16th and 17th‑18th placed teams. In 2024‑2025, Liverpool, who topped their group, faced PSG who had finished 15th, and the tie was settled on penalties after a 0‑1, 1‑0 series.

Injuries force PSG to reshuffle attack ahead of Villarreal clash

Football Rankings project PSG to retain first place and await the winner of the Atlético‑Galatasaray or Stuttgart‑Manchester United playoff, with Diego Simeone's Atlético currently on four points after four matches and likely to finish between 15th and 18th. A clash with Atlético would not be a pleasant encounter for the Parisiens.

PSG crushes Villarreal and cements top spot in the Champions League