 It was the third time Paris Saint-Germain faced Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League knockout phases, having lost the two previous encounters in the 2012–13 and the 2014–15 seasons on aggregate.Both teams had comfortably qualified from the group stage.Paris Saint-Germain qualified as runner-up in Group A having faced Arsenal, Basel, and having achieved a 9-point lead over 3rd-placed Ludogorets Razgrad.