PSG and Chelsea feel toll of punishing schedule before Champions League reunion | OneFootball

PSG and Chelsea, last season’s Club World Cup finalists, meet on Wednesday in the Champions League last 16 after campaigns blighted by injuries.

According to L'Équipe, since 1 July 2024 Chelsea have played 109 competitive matches, a world record shared with Real Madrid, with PSG on 105. That discrepancy reflects 20-team leagues, denser domestic cups and Chelsea’s 2024 Conference League play-offs.

After returning from the United States, both sides granted only three weeks off before restarting. Causes are said to be multifactorial, yet the overloaded schedule has taken a toll. At PSG, the 10 outfielders from last season’s Champions League final missed 51 matches between 1 January and 31 May 2025 across 35 fixtures. This season the same 10 have missed 121 from 40.

A mid-December report logged 23 injuries between 1 June and 31 October 2025, up 44% year on year. The knock-ons include players short of rhythm, disrupted on-field understanding and dents to confidence.

Chelsea opted for a major refresh, bringing in 11 signings and allowing 16 departures, with reinforcements such as Andrey Santos, Joao Pedro and Liam Delap. They also carried a larger senior group, 29 professionals including Mikhaïlo Moudrik, suspended for doping, compared with 24 at PSG.

Paris chose continuity, two exits and two arrivals, then only added 18-year-old Dro Fernandez in winter. The hierarchy anticipated injuries but preferred to protect last season’s balance rather than recruit for the sake of it.

Source: L'Équipe