Stuttgart vs Paris Saint-Germain
The stakes couldn’t be any higher for Stuttgart and Paris Saint-Germain as they lock horns in the Champions League’s league phase finale.
Back-to-back victories in the last two rounds have solidified Stuttgart’s stuttering Champions League campaign, catapulting them to 24th in the standings, albeit only two points clear of the drop zone. Therefore, anything other than victory against PSG could see them wave goodbye to Europe’s most prestigious competition as they aim to bounce back from a dismal 2-0 Bundesliga loss at Mainz last weekend. The impending home return should help, considering Sebastian Hoeness’ men have won both competitive games at the MHPArena in 2025 by an aggregate score of 6-1, with each seeing the opening goal arrive in the first ten minutes. Adding to that tally would see ‘Die Roten’ win three consecutive Champions League matches for the first time since 2003. However, they’ve only won once in their last ten European home outings (D6, L3).
Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain performed a dream second-half comeback to beat Manchester City 4-2 in the penultimate round and steer two points away from the drop zone. However, manager Luis Enrique cannot be pleased with his side’s form despite overseeing successive Champions League wins after a disastrous four-game winless streak (D1, L3). PSG’s momentum slowed down at the weekend as Ligue 1 minnows Reims held them to a 1-1 draw in Paris. Yet, ‘Les Parisiens’ tend to finish their Champions League group/league phase campaigns on a high, winning their final game in the opening stages in five of the last six seasons (D1). Worryingly, the visitors have suffered eight defeats in their 13 Champions League away encounters against German clubs (W3, D2).