UCL Preview: PSG welcome Spurs, Monaco head to Pafos
After a stirring comeback win by Marseille, Ligue 1 McDonald's teams will try to make it three Champions League wins from three on Matchday 5. Get the latest with our match previews as Paris Saint-Germain welcome Tottenham Hotspur and AS Monaco head to Pafos.
A super cup rematch
Having faced each other infrequently in their history, Paris Saint-Germain will now face Tottenham twice in three months, having edged the London side on penalties in the UEFA Super Cup in August. That PSG side was surely leggy after a busy summer in the United States, but this one will have to deal with key injuries -- Achraf Hakimi and Désiré Doué are unavailable, and Ousmane Dembélé is only fit enough for the bench.
Still, though, most of the key players for Luis Enrique are available, and the manager averred that their performance in August, which saw them need two late goals to take the match to a shootout, was merely the product of a long summer, and that playing at home would be a tonic. Said the Spaniard: "We are now more ready to be a dominant team and to win the match. It will be difficult, but we will be playing at the Parc des Princes, and we hope to put on a great performance in front of our fans."
As for Tottenham, they've enjoyed a rather uneven start to the season. Injuries have played at outsize part in Thomas Frank's struggles in his first season since joining from Brentford -- James Maddison and Dejan Kulsevski have barely featured, while Dominic Solanke and Yves Bissouma are also set to miss this contest. Too, the visitors will have to shake off a humbling loss to rivals Arsenal at the weekend, having been defeated 4-1 as they slipped to ninth in the table domestically.
Frank was non-plussed by the result, though, insisting it was part of the process: "I would love to have been here having beaten Arsenal and taking on PSG. Part of this job is dealing with setbacks. What I am 1000% sure of is that I know how to build a team and build a club. Part of it is how we learn from the bad spells."
Predicted lineups:
Paris Saint-Germain (4-3-3): Chevalier; Zaïre-Emery, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes; Neves, Vitinha, Ruiz; Lee (or Mayulu), Kvaratskhelia, Barcola
Tottenham Hotspur (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Palhinha, Betancur; Kudus, Simons, Odobert; Kolo Muani
See you tomorrow! ⚔️❤️💙#UCL pic.twitter.com/AW9b44Ujy3
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) November 25, 2025
Monaco look to build on European form
This last was a bit of a mixed bag for AS Monaco. The Principality side welcomed the return of Paul Pogba, the veteran coming off the bench in a 4-1 loss to Stade Rennais, but the defeat saw them drop out of the European spots thanks to another misfiring performance. Their European play has been much better than their domestic form, though, having battled to draws with Manchester City and Spurs, as well as picking up a difficult away win in Bødo in the last round.
Looking to move up the table ahead of more challenging set of fixtures to come, manager Sébastien Pocognoli was clear on the aim fore this competition, saying, "After a tough start, we are finally in a position to put together a run of good results in the Champions League, something we are struggling to do in Ligue 1 at the moment. This match is a great opportunity to take a step towards one of our goals: getting past the first round and reaching the competition's play-offs
While Pogba is unlikely to be in the starting lineup, another famous veteran will be, as former Paris Saint-Germain defender David Luiz -- still playing at the age of 38. The Brazilian signed for Pafos in the summer and has enjoyed being a key presence for one of the competition's most defensively sounds teams, as they've kept clean sheets in three of their four matches.
Predicted lineups:
Pafos (4-2-3-1): Michael; Bruno, Luckassen, David Luiz, Pileas; Šunjić, Pêpê; Sema, Oršić, Jajá; Dragomir
AS Monaco (4-2-3-1): Hradecky; Vanderson, Kehrer (or Teze), Salisu, Henrique; Camara, Zakaria; Akliouche, Minamino, Golovin (or Fati); Balogun
