Remembering every same-nation Champions League knockout tie

Paris Saint-Germain’s meeting with AS Monaco in tonight’s UEFA Champions League play-off round marks only the third all-Ligue 1 knockout tie in the competition’s history and the first time the two French clubs have ever faced one another on the European stage.

The honour of opening that account went to Lyon and Bordeaux, who clashed in the 2009-10 quarter-finals, with Lyon prevailing. Last season PSG raised the bar even higher, dismantling Brest 10-0 on aggregate in the knockout phase play-offs—the largest winning margin ever recorded between clubs from the same country in a two-legged Champions League tie.

Across the tournament’s modern era, 27 knockout ties have pitted domestic rivals against each other. England supplies the bulk of these duels, producing ten all-Premier League contests, while Spain follows with eight. Three of those showdowns have been same-city affairs: Inter Milan and AC Milan have crossed paths three times, and Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid have met on another three occasions.

Landmark moments include the first-ever London derby in the competition, when Chelsea faced Arsenal in the 2003-04 quarter-finals, and a trio of classics decided by the finest of margins: Milan edged Inter on away goals in the 2002-03 semi-finals, Liverpool overcame Chelsea on penalties in 2006-07, and Tottenham slipped past Manchester City on away goals after a 4-4 thriller in 2018-19. Most recently, Real Madrid squeezed past city rivals Atlético on spot-kicks in this season’s round of 16 after a 2-2 stalemate.

With PSG and Monaco set to write the next chapter, the list of same-nation showdowns continues to grow, reminding fans that some of the Champions League’s most compelling stories are told when familiar foes share an unfamiliar stage.