Brest vs Paris Saint-Germain facts

Brest's first European knockout tie pits them against familiar foes as Paris Saint-Germain visit in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League knockout phase play-offs.

While this is the home side's debut European campaign, Paris – who finished the league phase in 15th position on 13 points, the same total as their domestic rivals but three places higher – are in the Champions League knockout rounds for the 13th season in succession and are hoping to avoid missing out on the round of 16 for the first time since 2011/12.

Previous meetings

This is the teams' first European meeting.

Paris and Brest have faced each other in 42 domestic games, most recently on 1 February – a 5-2 Paris away victory in which Ousmane Dembélé scored a hat-trick and Gonçalo Ramos got the visitors' other two goals. Romain Del Castillo and Ludovic Ajorque were on target for Brest.

Dembélé had scored twice in Paris' 3-1 victory at the Parc des Princes on 14 September. Fabián Ruiz got the home side's second goal, after Del Castillo's first-half penalty had put Brest in front.

Paris have 26 wins in their 42 fixtures against Brest, who have managed only four victories – and none since a 3-1 home victory on 26 January 1985. Paris' subsequent record in the fixture is W22 D8.

Overall Paris have scored 85 goals against Brest, who have managed 35.

Paris have won 13 of their 22 away games at Brest including the last ten, since a 2-2 draw on 24 April 2011. Brest have three home wins against Paris with six draws.

A 2-2 Ligue 1 draw at the Parc des Princes last season – a match Paris had led 2-0 – is the only one of their last 18 games against Brest, home and away, the Parisians failed to win.

Paris have won all four of their French Cup ties against Brest, most recently in the last 16 in 2023/24 when Gonçalo Ramos scored the final goal in a 3-1 home win.

This is only the second all-French Champions League tie, Lyon beating Bordeaux 3-2 on aggregate in the 2009/10 quarter-finals. In UEFA competition overall, this is the sixth tie between two Ligue 1 teams.

Form guide

Brest

This is Brest's first European match against a French club.

This is also Brest's first season in the Champions League; indeed, they have never before qualified for European competition.

Leipzig, in 2017, are the only previous club to have made their European debut in the Champions League proper, an honour Brest have shared with Girona this season.

Éric Roy's side secured their place in the competition by finishing third in Ligue 1 in 2023/24 – the club's highest-ever final position. Their 61 points was also a club record.

Les Pirates are the 12th French club to play in the Champions League proper, and the first newcomers since Rennes in 2020/21.

Brest are one of five clubs to have made their Champions League debuts in 2024/25, along with Bologna, Aston Villa, Girona and Slovan Bratislava. Only Brest and Villa have reached the knockout rounds.

The French side's league phase record was W4 D1 L3. At home they were 2-1 winners against Sturm Graz on Matchday 1 before a 1-1 draw against German champions Bayer Leverkusen, a 1-0 defeat of PSV Eindhoven and, on Matchday 8, a 0-3 defeat by holders Real Madrid.

Paris Saint-Germain

Like Brest, Paris have never played Ligue 1 opponents in Europe.

This is Paris's 17th campaign in the Champions League proper, a new French record; they had previously been level with Lyon. They have featured every season since 2012/13, reaching the knockout stages in all 13 of those most recent campaigns.

Last season Les Parisiens beat Spanish pair Real Sociedad (4-1 aggregate) and Barcelona (6-4 aggregate) in the round of 16 and quarter-finals respectively, before losing to Borussia Dortmund in the last four (0-1 a, 0-1 h).

The French side have lost in the last 16 in five of their last eight Champions League campaigns.

The Parisians have won 18 of their last 41 European matches (D8 L15) and have been victorious in 16 of their last 36 away Champions League fixtures (D6 L14). They lost at Arsenal (0-2) and Bayern München (0-1) this season before a 3-0 win at Salzburg on Matchday 6 and a 4-1 success at Stuttgart in their most recent fixture.

Paris claimed their 12th French title, and tenth in the last 12 seasons, in 2023/24 and also lifted the Coupe de France for the 15th time to complete Paris's fifth domestic double.

Links and trivia

Have played together:
Romain Faivre & Bradley Barcola (Lyon 2022/23)
Jonas Martin & Fabián Ruiz (Real Betis 2016/17)
Ibrahim Salah & Désiré Doué (Rennes 2023/24)

International team-mates:
Bradley Locko & Désiré Doué, Warren Zaïre-Emery (France Under-23)

Roy's record as a coach against Paris is W1 D2 L7, the sole victories in his first game, Nice's 1-0 home Ligue 1 success on 20 October 2010. He has lost five of his games against Paris with Brest.

Luis Enrique has yet to lose against Brest (W4 D1).

Enrique is also unbeaten in away games against French club as Paris coach (W24 D8).

Latest news

Brest

Brest's run of three successive Ligue 1 wins – a first this season – was ended by a 2-5 defeat at home to Paris on 1 February.

They returned to winning ways with a 2-0 victory at Nantes on Friday.

Ludovic Ajorque opened the scoring to make it seven goals in his last nine league appearances and is Brest's top scorer in Ligue 1 on nine, but has yet to find the net in the Champions League.

An added-time strike from Abdallah Sima earned a 2-1 win at Ligue 2 Troyes in the last 16 of the French Cup on 4 February. They will be at home to Ligue 2 Dunkerque in the quarter-finals on 26 February.

Romain Del Castillo missed Friday's win after having a scan on a knee problem.

Julien Le Cardinal started at Troyes having not played since going off with a hamstring injury on Matchday 6. He was an unused substitute on Friday.

Massadio Haïdara returned as a late substitute at Troyes and started at Nantes; he had been out since going off with a calf injury in a 2-1 home win against Lyon on 11 February.

A muscle injury has sidelined Jonas Martin since 29 November.

Paris

Paris were 4-1 winners at home to Monaco on Friday, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scoring his first goal for his new club.

Ousmane Dembélé scored Paris' last two goals, the seventh consecutive match in which he had found the net – a run of 13 goals, including eight in his last three.

Dembélé has 16 Ligue 1 goals this season having managed three in 2023/24 and 22 in all competitions this season; his previous best was 14 for Barcelona in 2018/19. His 13 goals in seven appearances in 2025 is as many as he managed in 42 games in 2024.

Dembélé became the first Paris player to score hat-tricks in consecutive games with his three goals in a 5-2 victory at Brest on 1 February.

A 1-1 Ligue 1 draw at home to Reims on 25 January is the only one of Paris' last ten games in all competitions they have not won.

Paris progressed to French Cup quarter-finals with a 2-0 win at third-level Le Mans on 4 February thanks to goals from Désiré Doué and substitute Bradley Barcola. They will visit fourth division Saint-Brieuc in the last eight on 26 February.

On 5 January Paris lifted the French Super Cup thanks to Dembélé's added-time strike that secured a 1-0 win against Monaco. Paris have claimed the trophy a record 13 times.

Presnel Kimpembe, who had not played since 26 February 2023 with a ruptured Achilles, came on as late substitute at Le Mans.

Warren Zaïre-Emery has not played since spraining an ankle at Stuttgart.

On 17 January Paris announced the signing of Kvaratskhelia from Napoli; the club's first Georgian player has signed a contract until 2029 and made his debut against Reims.

Paris announced on Friday that Luis Enrique had signed a contract extension until 2027 and that Yoram Zague (2028) and Achraf Hakimi, Vitinha and Nuno Mendes (all 2029) had also penned new deals.