Paris Saint-Germain have made a habit over the last decade of going into the Champions League knockout stages with doubts over their form and the fitness of key players, but this season appears to be different. The French champions could hardly be in better shape ahead of the first leg of their play-off tie against domestic rivals Brest, for which they are overwhelming favourites. PSG's stuttering European form at the tail end of 2024, when defeats against Arsenal, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich left them in danger of being eliminated early from the Champions League, is now firmly behind them.