Paris Saint-Germain will travel to Spain this Tuesday to face Villarreal in a fourth-round Champions League fixture at the Madrigal stadium. This encounter marks the first official meeting between the two clubs, although they previously met in a friendly on February 27, 2001, where Luis Fernandez's PSG secured a 2-1 victory thanks to a brace by Enrique de Lucas. While the Parisians have faced numerous Spanish teams with an overall record of 21 wins in 46 matches, their performance under current manager Luis Enrique has been particularly dominant against compatriots, boasting eight victories, one draw, and only two defeats.
The French champions enter this match having already accumulated nine points in the tournament. Their campaign began with a 6-1 victory over Slovan Bratislava, followed by impressive away wins against Manchester City (4-2) and Barcelona (4-2). However, the squad is dealing with significant injuries; Nuno Mendes, Marquinhos, and Ousmane Dembélé are out for several weeks, while Khvicha Kvaratskhelia may be unavailable for the remainder of the season. Despite these setbacks, PSG continues an impressive run of nine consecutive victories across all competitions. In contrast, Villarreal sits eighth in La Liga following a 1-0 loss to Espanyol and has struggled in Europe, securing only one win against Napoli (3-1) while suffering narrow defeats to Dortmund and Liverpool.
A standout statistic for the Parisians is the durability of Portuguese midfielder Vitinha. The 26-year-old international has never missed a Champions League match since joining PSG, playing 57 consecutive games in the competition. Including his time at Porto, where he played all six available matches, Vitinha has now appeared in 63 straight Champions League fixtures. His availability extends to other continental tournaments as well, having featured in every European Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup, and Club World Cup match for the club. This streak highlights his physical condition and ability to avoid suspensions.
Several French players have previously represented Villarreal, including Robert Pirès, Étienne Capoue, and Jérémy Perbet, who holds the record as the club's top scorer among Frenchmen with 22 goals. The current squad also features former Ligue 1 players such as Georges Mikautadze, Pape Gueye, Logan Costa, and Nicolas Pépé.
Regarding the probable lineup, Luis Enrique faces limited options due to injuries. Matveï Safonov, Achraf Hakimi, Willian Pacho, Fabián Ruiz, Vitinha, João Neves, Maghnes Akliouche, and Désiré Doué are expected to start. Illya Zabarnyi is likely to partner in central defense in the absence of Marquinhos. The left-back position remains uncertain between Lucas Hernandez and Warren Zaïre-Emery, as Lucas Digne has struggled recently. Up front, Ferran Torres is the logical choice for the false nine role, though Senny Mayulu could start or enter the game after scoring against Lyon and providing an assist in a recent match. Mika Godts, who scored his first two goals for PSG last week, is expected to begin on the bench.
Sources: Le Figaro.