Chelsea at huge disadvantage in Champions League tie after recent PSG decision | OneFootball

French football governing body LFP have agreed to give Paris Saint-Germain a free weekend to prepare for their upcoming Champions League tie against Chelsea.

The reigning champions have been drawn against Chelsea in the round of 16 of the Champions League.

The first leg is set to take place on Wednesday, March 11, in Paris, before Chelsea host PSG at Stamford Bridge the following week on Tuesday, March 17.

Each side initially has a domestic league fixture between the two legs. Chelsea host Newcastle United on Saturday, March 14, while PSG host a struggling Nantes side during the same weekend.

However, French football authorities and Nantes have agreed to postpone their fixture to be played a week later.

"At the request of Paris Saint-Germain, in order to best prepare for their two-legged tie against Chelsea, the LFP (Ligue de Football Professionnel) board of directors, in agreement with Nantes, have decided the Paris Saint-Germain-Nantes match will be played the week of April 20," the official statement from Ligue 1 reads.

"The exact date and time of the match will be determined later."

IMAGO / Nicolo Campo

This will obviously give PSG a huge advantage in the Champions League tie against Chelsea.

Chelsea are currently in a fierce race for the top five spots in the Premier League and will likely have to divide their attention between the Champions League tie and the Premier League fixture against Newcastle.

While it is an unfair edge, according to French outlet RMC Sport, this is just a result of collective effort from French clubs to help their representatives in European competitions.

Lyon and/or Lille may receive a similar treatment if they are to continue their journey in the Europa League.