Paris Saint-Germain were held to a 1-1 draw at Nantes in a rearranged Ligue 1 game on Tuesday, a result which maintains their unbeaten domestic record this season with the Champions League semifinal against Arsenal on the horizon.
The French side, who have never won Europe's elite club competition, will face either Arsenal or Real Madrid in their second semi-final in two years.
Paris St Germain kept alive their dream of a first Champions League title on Tuesday by squeezing past Aston Villa 5-4 on aggregate after a thrilling second leg of their quarter-final which the English side won 3-2.
Unai Emery says his players can feed off the energy of their fans as Aston Villa seek to overturn a 3-1 deficit in Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain.
Aston Villa must make home advantage count and draw energy from their supporters in the return leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Paris St Germain at Villa Park on Tuesday, manager Unai Emery said.
The Argentine international, dubbed a 'specialist in provocation' by French sports daily L'Equipe, was seen wearing a hat that celebrated the Albicelestes' success while covering up a French cockerel emblem on Tuesday.
Morgan Rogers gave Villa the lead at the Parc des Princes, but the French champions levelled through Doue before half-time. Kvaratskhelia put PSG ahead early in the second half and Mendes added a late third.
Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has attempted to provoke Paris Saint-Germain supporters with a baseball cap poking fun at France's defeat by Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final as he arrived for Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final.
Marcus Rashford returns to Paris Saint-Germain with Aston Villa on Wednesday seeking a hat-trick of wins at the home of the French champions while Marco Asensio can hurt his parent club.
Enthralling first-leg semifinals in the Champions League have left the fate of the return legs in greater anticipation and in edge-of-the-seat poise, with Borussia Dortmund upstaging Kylian Mbappe’s PSG in Germany and 14-time winners Real Madrid snatching a draw against Bayern Munich away from home.
Paris Saint-Germain’s star forward Kylian Mbappe was left behind at the Signal Iduna Park following their 1-0 defeat against hosts Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal on Wednesday.
The focus in the Champions League semifinal tie between PSG and Borussia Dortmund at the Signal Iduna Park tomorrow is firmly set on French star Kylian Mbappe.
"Of course that's something we are talking about. It's a source of motivation for us," Luis Enrique said.
Paris Saint-Germain were confirmed as Ligue 1 champions on Sunday without playing after closest challengers Monaco lost 3-2 away to Lyon.
Luis Enrique's team would have sealed the title later on Wednesday if second-placed Monaco had failed to beat Lille at home, but the principality side prevailed 1-0 courtesy of Youssouf Fofana's second-half strike.
Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique said Tuesday he was chasing history as the club bid for the treble of Ligue 1, Champions League and French Cup trophies this season.
After years of heartbreak and being dubbed "Neverkusen" for their string of runners-up finishes, Bayer Leverkusen finally broke through to claim their first-ever Bundesliga title. Their 5-0 victory over Werder Bremen last week secured the trophy, marking a watershed moment in the club's 119-year history. Although they have enjoyed intermittent cup success, this league title signifies a shift in their fortunes.
Barcelona woke up with a familiar sinking feeling on Wednesday, another Champions League hangover, after Paris Saint-Germain thrashed them 4-1 at home to eliminate them in the quarter-finals.
Dortmund overturned a 2-1 deficit from their quarter-final first leg against Atletico to win 5-4 on aggregate and will now renew their acquaintance with PSG, who beat Barcelona 6-4 over two legs to book their semi-final berth.
