After making an unbeaten start to their defence of the Champions League title, Paris Saint-Germain have laid the foundations for another successful campaign.
However, in the spirit of ‘nothing worth having comes easy’, the Ligue 1 giants face some challenging fixtures during the rest of the league phase.
Their hopes of automatically progressing to the knockout stage could also be hindered by Ousmane Dembele’s absence due to a hamstring injury.
A quick look at Spreadex Sports’ Champions League odds makes the reigning European champions the betting favourites, but the French club could struggle for goals as Dembele is not fit for the whole season.
Currently injured players are not included in Spreadex Sports’ season goals predictions for the competition, and the forecast looks decidedly light on goals.
Bradley Barcola has been tipped to be the top scorer with a spread of 2.9 to 3.2 goals, which does not bode well for PSG’s chances of success.
Dembele is reportedly on the road to recovery, although PSG may be reluctant to rush him back into action following his injury setback.
Read on as we look at what is on the agenda for PSG in the Champions League, before assessing their chances of success this season.
Champions League 2025/26 – Dates
- Matchday 1: Atalanta (W4-0)
- Matchday 2: Barcelona (W2-1)
- Matchday 3: Bayer Leverkusen (A) – October 21, 2025
- Matchday 4: Bayern Munich (H) – November 4, 2025
- Matchday 5: Tottenham Hotspur (H) – November 26, 2025
- Matchday 6: Athletic Club (A) – December 10, 2025
- Matchday 7: Sporting CP (A) – January 20, 2026
- Matchday 8: Newcastle United (H) – January 28, 2026
- Knockout phase playoffs: February 17/18 & 24/25, 2026
- Round of 16: March 10/11 &17/18, 2026
- Quarter-finals: April 7/8 & 14/15, 2026
- Semi-finals: April 28/29 & May 5/6, 2026
- Final: May 30, 2026
Champions League 2025/26 – PSG face several tricky fixtures
On paper, it would be easy to look at PSG’s recent 2-1 victory at Barcelona and claim they have got their toughest test out of the way.
While that argument has some merit, it also does a disservice to the quality of opponents they are scheduled to face over the next few months.
The upcoming trip to Bayer Leverkusen is a potential banana skin. They have drawn their first two games in the competition and will be eager to make life difficult for PSG.
The home game against Bayern Munich on Matchday 4 is also fraught with danger. Bayern have won their last four meetings with PSG in the Champions League.
Luis Enrique’s side face another test in their fifth outing, with Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur scheduled to visit the Parc des Princes.
Tottenham pushed PSG to a penalty shoot-out in the UEFA Super Cup earlier this season and have the ability to cause problems in their next meeting.
PSG’s subsequent visits to Athletic Club and Sporting CP are both winnable games, but it would be foolish to take either side lightly.
Athletic are traditionally a tough nut to crack on their own patch, while Sporting will want to prove they can mix it with the best in the Champions League.
PSG complete their league phase fixtures at home to Newcastle United, and recent history shows they cannot afford to take them lightly.
The Magpies took four points off PSG during the group stage in 2023/24 and will be eager to upset the odds against the reigning champions on this occasion.
While it is imperative for PSG not to underestimate their opponents, the players have repeatedly demonstrated their quality in this competition.
They were worthy winners of the Champions League last season and will undoubtedly be pulling out all the stops to retain the title this term.
