Paris Saint-Germain will be eager to return to winning ways in the Premier League when they host Tottenham Hotspur at Parc des Princes on Wednesday.
The curtains will fall on Matchday 5 of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League on Wednesday. The action on the day will start with two early matches before ending with simultaneous games, including PSG vs Tottenham Hotspur at Parc des Princes.
Paris Saint-Germain’s perfect start to the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League ended on Matchday 4, as Bayern Munich clinched a narrow 2-1 win at Parc des Princes. That result has dropped PSG to fifth in the standings, falling behind Bayern, Arsenal, Inter Milan, and Manchester City. However, domestic results have brought some relief, as Les Parisiens beat Le Havre 3-0 this past weekend to remain atop the Ligue 1 table.
On the other hand, Tottenham Hotspur suffered a crushing 4-1 defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League this past weekend, which took the North London club from the top four to eighth on the table. However, the Lilywhites are unbeaten thus far in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League, cruising to a 4-0 win over FC Copenhagen to rise to tenth in the standings.
PSG and Tottenham Hotspur have already clashed once this season, with the French giants winning the UEFA Super Cup by clinching a narrow victory in the penalty shootout. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
PSG
Luis Enrique has received a positive update on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The PSG manager will be bereft of the services of only three first-team players vs Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday.
Illia Zabarnyi is available after serving a suspension against Bayern Munich on Matchday 4. So, Achraf Hakimi (ankle), Desire Doue (hamstring), and Ousmane Dembele (calf) are the only players on the sidelines, with the trio in the treatment room for a few more weeks.
Lucas Chevalier is an automatic pick between the sticks, with PSG lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him vs Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday. The backline will feature Warren Zaire-Emery, Illia Zabarnyi, Willian Pacho, and Nuno Mendes.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha, and Joao Neves in the middle of the park. Finally, Bradley Barcola will spearhead the PSG attack against Tottenham Hotspur, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Lee Kang-in completing the numbers in the offensive third.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Chevalier; Zaire-Emery, Zabarnyi, Pacho, Mendes; Ruiz, Vitinha, Neves; Lee, Barcola, Kvaratskhelia
Tottenham Hotspur
Unlike his counterpart in the Paris Saint-Germain dugout, Thomas Frank has a new roster issue to worry about ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Tottenham Hotspur manager will be without eight first-team players on Wednesday.
Brennan Johnson is the latest absentee, as he will serve a suspension after being sent off against FC Copenhagen on Matchday 4. Additionally, Radu Dragusin (knee), Kota Takai (hamstring), Ben Davies (thigh), Yves Bissouma (ankle), James Maddison (knee), Dominic Solanke (ankle), and Dejan Kulusevski remain in the treatment room.
Guglielmo Vicario will take his usual spot between the sticks, with Tottenham Hotspur lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs PSG on Wednesday. The backline will feature Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, and Destiny Udogie.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Joao Palhinha and Pape Matar Sarr in the double pivot, with Xavi Simons reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Randal Kolo Muani will spearhead the Tottenham attack against PSG, with Mohammed Kudus and Richarlison being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Udogie; Palhinha, Sarr; Kudus, Simons, Richarlison; Kolo Muani
Key Stats
PSG and Tottenham Hotspur have met just once before in European competition, with the French side coming back from 2-0 down to win the UEFA Super Cup on penalties earlier this season.
Across major European competitions, Tottenham have lost only two of their last 13 games against clubs from France (W6 D5), with their most recent outing on the road witnessing them draw 0-0 with AS Monaco in the UEFA Champions League this term.
PSG have lost only one of their last six home UEFA Champions League games against English opponents (W4 D1), a 1-0 defeat to Liverpool in March 2025 in the Round of 16 of the 2025/26 edition.
Tottenham are unbeaten in their five most recent UEFA Champions League games (W2 D3), keeping four clean sheets in that time. The North London outfit last enjoyed a longer undefeated run in the competition between October 2018 and April 2019 (seven games).
Tottenham have recorded seven clean sheets in their 13 games across the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League in 2025, the most of any team in major European competition this year. The 0.35 xG Spurs allowed on Matchday 4 against FC Copenhagen was the lowest tally they had faced in a Champions League match since February 2019 against Borussia Dortmund (0.10).
Player to Watch
Micky van de Ven
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While Richarlison, Bradley Barcola, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Micky van de Ven as the Player to Watch for Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur at Parc des Princes.
The Dutchman is Tottenham’s top scorer in the UEFA Champions League this season with two goals. The last defender to score more times in a single edition of the competition for a Premier League club was John Stones for Manchester City in 2017/18 (3).
However, while van de Ven’s offensive prowess will be crucial for Tottenham, Thomas Frank will need the 24-year-old to be at his best at the back to ensure the visitors frustrate PSG for long periods and get something from Wednesday’s clash. So, the Dutch defender will be the pivotal figure for the away side in the midweek Champions League clash.
Prediction
PSG 3-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Smarting from the defeat to Arsenal this past weekend, Tottenham will be desperate to return to winning ways. However, while the away side will take the game to Paris Saint-Germain, they will not have enough quality to take anything from Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League clash at Parc des Princes.
Richarlison and Mohammed Kudus will be the torch-bearers for the visitors. However, their defensive frailties will come to the fore again, with Bradley Barcola and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia pushing them into submission. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for Luis Enrique and his charges.