Can PSG Overcome Their Goal-Scoring Struggles Against Monaco in Champions League?

Will Paris Saint-Germain showcase their scoring prowess against Marseille and Lille, or will they struggle to find the net as they have recently?

Injuries and absences of key players can no longer explain Paris Saint-Germain’s struggles in the 2025-2026 season. Since December, the capital club has experienced a noticeable decline in their effectiveness in the opponent’s box, leading to inconsistent results in Ligue 1, the Champions League, and the Coupe de France. Notably, despite twenty-one shots, the Red and Blues were eliminated by Paris FC, who managed to win with just four attempts in the Round of 16 at the Parc.

As the Champions League playoff against Monaco approaches on Tuesday evening (21:00), the question looms: Are we about to witness an offensive explosion from Luis Enrique’s team, reminiscent of their 5-0 rout of Marseille, 3-0 victory over Lille, or the thrilling 5-3 clash with Tottenham? Alternatively, will they find themselves hitting the wrong side of the posts and facing a goalkeeper’s gloves, as seen in recent matches against Rennes (1-3), Newcastle (1-1), and Sporting Lisbon (1-2)? This uncertainty hangs in the air, with no clear answers in sight.

Luis Enrique attributes inefficiency to mental factors

Luis Enrique has offered insights into his team’s difficulties during matches. He believes that the solution lies in the players’ psychology. “It’s not a technical issue,” he confessed after a hard-fought win against Auxerre (1-0). “It’s more about confidence, which cannot be bought. It comes when you see you’re capable of finishing actions. Based on our training sessions, I know we have the quality to do it. But players are not machines; there are moments in the season where this inaccuracy appears.” For PSG, the challenge is to leave this “moment” behind as they approach knockout matches in the Champions League, with RC Lens currently leading Ligue 1.

“We train every day to improve our efficiency,” stated Joao Neves in Monaco on Monday. The Portuguese midfielder believes that PSG “plays very well even without efficiency, and our game allows us to be closer to victory.” Notably, PSG has scored a third of its goals in the Champions League this season against Bayer Leverkusen (7 out of 21), yet they have only managed to net two goals in their last three Champions League matches.

K. Kvaratskhelia, who scored the equalizer against Sporting in the Champions League group stage / Gualter Fatia/GettyImages

The expected goals paradox

To explain his team’s inefficiencies, Luis Enrique commented following the game against Rennes, “It’s the beauty of football. We had the same number of expected goals against Rennes as we did against Marseille, yet we scored five against OM.” This statistic also reflects individual performance. Aside from Ousmane Dembélé, who has scored eight times with 4.6 expected goals, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (four goals, 3.4 xG), the other top scorers in the club’s top five have negative ratios. Gonçalo Ramos has netted only four times despite 6.3 xG, while Désiré Doué stands with three goals and 4.3 xG.

Is there a lack of simplicity in the final touch? This is a possible hypothesis hinted at by Vitinha on Friday. “I know everyone wants to score, but sometimes you need to pass to teammates who are better positioned,” said the Parisian vice-captain, who is the team’s top scorer in the Champions League this season with five goals.