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Wind back to last summer and having thrashed Inter 5-0 in the Champions League final at the end of May, PSG were hot favourites to beat Chelsea in the final of the Club World Cup in New Jersey.
And yet that July meeting in the United States panned out very differently as two brilliant goals from Cole Palmer and a third from Joao Pedro saw Chelsea race into a 3-0 half-time lead – a scoreline they held to the finish.
Now the two face off again in Paris with the winners of this Champions League last-16 tie facing either Liverpool or Galatasaray in the last eight.
PSG haven’t hit the levels of last season and only just edged past Monaco 5-4 on aggregate in the Champions League playoffs.
Monaco got revenge with a 3-1 win in Paris at the weekend, PSG’s second league defeat in the last four matches and one which left them just a single point clear of Lens at the top of Ligue 1.
Chelsea came through a thrilling FA Cup tie at Wrexham on Saturday, needing extra-time to prevail 4-2, and that followed an impressive 4-1 win away to Aston Villa in the Premier League.
The Blues finished sixth in the 36-team Champions League table after five wins, a draw and two defeats while PSG won just four of their eight matches, finishing 11th.
How to watch PSG v Chelsea
PSG v Chelsea kicks off at 20:00 GMT on Wednesday, March 11 at the Parc des Princes. The game will be shown live on Discovery+ & TNT Sports 2, with coverage starting from 19:00.
BBC Radio 5 Live will provide full match commentary.
PSG team news
The defending champions will be without midfielder Fabian Ruiz who has a knee injury.
But otherwise it looks like a clean bill of health for Luis Enrique’s team.
Nuno Mendes will miss the return leg if he picks up a booking here.
PSG expected line-up
(4-3-3) Safonov; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes; Zaire-Emery, Vitinha, Neves; Doue, Dembele, Barcola.
Chelsea team news
Chelsea have a number of absentees with Estevao, Jamie Gittens and Lev Colwill all missing out.
Wesley Fofana is a doubt in central defence but the Blues are hopeful he will line up alongside Trevor Chalobah.
Alejandro Garnacho is pushing for a starting berth but may have to settle for the bench with Andrey Santos lining up alongside Moises Caicedo in the heart of midfield and Enzo Fernandez pushed further forward.
Chelsea expected line-up
(4-2-3-1) Sanchez; James, Fofana, Chalobah, Cucurella; Caicedo, Santos; Palmer, Fernandez, Neto; Joao Pedro.
PSG v Chelsea stats
– PSG and Chelsea last met in the Champions League in the last 16 in 2015-16, with the French side winning both legs 2-1.
– Chelsea have only won two out of eight Champions League matches against PSG (D3 L3).
– PSG have progressed from their last three Champions League knockout ties against English clubs.
– Since losing 2-1 to PSG in March 2016, Chelsea have won all six of their UEFA Champions League games against French clubs.
– Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior will be the 16th manager to see his first knockout stage game in the Champions League come against the reigning champions. Of the previous 15, only one of those has been victorious (D5 L9).
– Since the start of last season, only Ousmane Dembélé (16) has more combined goals and assists for Paris SG in the Champions League than full-back Achraf Hakimi (13).
– In terms of average age, Chelsea (24y 31d) and Paris SG (24y 195d) are the two teams with the youngest starting XIs fielded in the Champions League this season.
PSG v Chelsea predictions
Newcastle held PSG to a 1-1 draw in Paris in the group phase and Chelsea should feel confident having stunned their rivals in the Club World Cup final.
One feature since Rosenior took over is how freely Chelsea score on the road.
The Blues have plundered 27 goals in nine away fixtures under their new boss and attack is certainly the best form of defence for a team who aren’t great at the back.
The focus has to be on Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro, who scored all four goals between them at Villa and all three in last summer’s win over PSG.
Joao Pedro is 23/10 anytime while penalty-taker Palmer is 13/5 to find the net at some point.
The goalscorer double pays just over 10/1.
PSG carry plenty of firepower too of course and, in what could be a hugely entertaining contest, the 2-2 correct score is worth a go at 11/1.