Paris Saint-Germain, the current French champion, will face a tough encounter against fellow countryman Monaco on Tuesday (UAE time 12:00) in the first leg of the Champions League playoff. In their first-ever meeting in European competitions, Paris Saint-Germain, who won the title for the first time in their history last season, will face Monaco. After a strong start, players under Spanish coach Luis Enrique slipped to 11th place, losing the lead in the French Ligue 1 to Lens by just one point, after years of dominance since the club was acquired by a Qatari investment company in 2011. However, their opponent Monaco is not in the best shape either. Having barely qualified for the playoff, they lost 9 out of 22 matches in the domestic league, finishing 8th in Ligue 1. The winner of this tie will play against Spanish Barcelona or English Chelsea. While the match against Italian Inter, last season's runner-up, against Bodø/Glimt may seem easy on paper, the Norwegian side secured their playoff spot with a sweet taste after wins over the 'big two': Manchester City (3-1) and Atlético Madrid (2-1). In other notable playoff matches, Juventus will travel to face Galatasaray, and Borussia Dortmund will host Atalanta. The second legs of this round will be played on February 24 and 25.
