All you need to know about Paris v. Maccabi Haifa

A BIT OF HISTORY...

This is the fourth meeting between the two teams, with Paris Saint-Germain having already faced Maccabi Haifa in the last 32 of the 1998-99 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup – a bad memory for Les Rouge et Bleu, who were knocked out after they followed up a 1-1 draw at the Parc des Princes with a 3-2 defeat in Israel two weeks later. Les Parisiens picked up their first win against Maccabi in the reverse fixture on 14th September, beating them 3-1.

Paris Saint-Germain have played six competitive fixtures against clubs from Israel: three against Maccabi Haifa, two against Maccabi Tel Aviv and one against Hapoel Tel Aviv, with a record of two wins, one draw and three defeats for the capital club.

At the Parc des Princes, their record is perfectly balanced, with one win against Maccabi Tel Aviv (2-0 on 19th August 2010), one draw against Maccabi Haifa (1-1 on 17th September 1998) and one defeat against Hapoel Tel Aviv (2-4 on 23rd November 2006).

No player has ever played for both sides, but former Paris striker Mordechai Spiegler managed Maccabi Haifa in 1979. Haifa defender Dylan Batubinsika, meanwhile, was an academy player for Paris Saint-Germain between 2004 and 2017 without ever playing for the capital club's first team.

THE STAKES

Paris Saint-Germain could make it through to the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League tonight with a win over Haifa, or if they draw and Juventus fail to beat Benfica.

In fact, Paris are one of three European clubs to have always made it past the UEFA Champions League group stage since the 2012-13 season, alongside Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

Les Rouge et Bleu are on a run of 26 competitive fixtures without defeat, with 19 wins and 7 draws since their 3-0 league defeat away to Monaco on 20th March 2022.

The capital club are taking part in their 30th European campaign since making their debut in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in the 1982-83 season. It is also their 11th consecutive season in the UEFA Champions League.

Against Haifa, Paris Saint-Germain will be playing their 140th match in the UEFA Champions League, with 75 wins, 27 draws and 37 defeats to their name. They will also be playing their 252nd match across all European competitions*, with a record of 131 wins, 57 draws and 63 defeats.

THE KEYS TO THE GAME

Paris Saint-Germain will be able to rely on captain Marquinhos, who holds the record for the most European appearances made with the capital club (77), just ahead of Marco Verratti (76).

*These figures include the UEFA Super Cup but not the UEFA Intertoto Cup.