Why Liverpool May Offer PSG a Better Round of 16 Matchup Than Barcelona | OneFootball

Paris Saint-Germain are set to take on Stade Brestois in the UEFA Champions League knockout phase play-off, with the winner advancing to face either Barcelona or Liverpool in the next round.

Ahead of this crucial clash, PSG recently dominated Brest with a 5-2 victory at Stade Francis Le Blé. Ousmane Dembélé has been in sensational form in 2025, emerging as a prolific goal scorer.

Since the start of the year, the former Barcelona winger has found the net 13 times in just seven matches. If the Parisians want to get past Brest, they’ll need the Frenchman to continue this impressive form.

Now, should PSG advance, who would Luis Enrique and his team better fare against? The Premier League side or LaLiga team?

Jonathan Johnson on PSG’s potential opponent in the UCL

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On the latest PSG Talking podcast, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Johnson spoke about which two sides would be the ideal opponent for the Ligue 1 club as they look to make a deep run for a second straight season.

“I think, obviously, Barcelona. There’s a little bit of history there, and having beaten them in a recent edition as well, that maybe would make PSG fairly strong favorites based on that. But also, I think the Liverpool factor could be quite interesting because Liverpool are such overwhelming favorites, given how well they’re doing in the Premier League and also the Champions League, having finished in the top two positions.

“They’ve already got a cup final on the horizon in the EFL Cup. So I do think that there may be the potential for PSG to surprise Liverpool a little bit… And in many ways, I think it could benefit PSG not to play a team that they’ve come up against in Europe recently.

“Obviously, the last time they faced Liverpool was under Jürgen Klopp a few years ago. I do think that it’s maybe for the best for PSG that they play one of the top European sides. I guess that’s the beauty of this potential Round of 16 draw because whether they’re up against Liverpool or Barcelona, it’s going to be one of Europe’s most in-form sides at this moment in time.

“So there’s not necessarily a preference for it, but if you had to slightly, per se, say one was more favorable than the other, I think you look at the domestic form of Barcelona and the fact that PSG managed to knock them out in last year’s quarterfinal and say it’s probably slightly more preferable to Liverpool. But I’m almost more keen to see PSG up against Liverpool than against Barca, personally.”