Paris Saint-Germain v Real Sociedad: Champions League last 16, first leg – live | Champions League

Peep! Referee Marco Guida draws the first half to a close and the players troop towards the tunnel. PSG haven’t been firing on anything approaching all their cylinders, while Real Sociedad have been quite impressive. The deadlock remains resolutely unbroken in Paris, in a game that could really do with a goal. Ideally a goal scored by the visiting underdogs.

45 min: Real Sociedad go close again, with Mikel Merino, their captain for the night, shooting from distance and beating Donnarumma, only to see his surface-to-air effort hit the bar.

44 min: The clock ticks towards half-time in a game that has thus far been reasonably entertaining. PSG haven’t offered a great deal apart from a few forays in behind Real Sociedad’s defensive line, while the visitors from San Sebastian have looked dangerous but far from lethal.

43 min: Real Sociedad striker Andre Silva tries his luck, attempting to score with an acrobatic bicycle kick. He doesn’t get near the ball but you can’t but applaud his ambition.

42 min: Kubo whips in another cross, this time from open play. Danilo gets a crucial touch before the ball can fizz across the face of the PSG goal.

39 min: Kubo gives Lucas Beraldo the slip and advances down the right wing. The Japanese international wins and takes a corner, which Donnarumma comes off his line to punch clear for PSG.

38 min: From the free-kick, Vitinha picks out Marquinhos at the far post and he heads the ball across the face of goal. Andre Silva is on hand to head it clear for Real Sociedad.

37 min: Robin Le Normand fouls Ousmane Dembele as he turns on the afterburners, then Mikel Merino sticks out a leg to help bring down the PSG winger. It’s a free-kick for PSG and a yellow card for Le Normand. Merino avoids a booking but did seem to hurt his shoulder as he fouled Dembele.

34 min: The ball’s sent into the penalty area, cleared and then lofted back towards the far post. Bradley Barcola has to react extremely quickly and can only head over the bar.

33 min: Kylian Mbappe takes the ball around Hamari Traore and advances towards the left side of the Real Sociedad penalty area. With Dembele screaming for a cross to the far post, Mbappe runs into traffic and has to settle for a corner.

30 min: Galloping up the right, Dembele is dispossessed on the touchline by Javi Galan, electing to hurdle the Real Sociedad left-back’s robust challenge and leave the ball behind him.

28 min: With almost half an hour gone, one suspects that Real Sociedad boss Imanol Alguacil will be the happier of the two managers. His side has created the best chance of the game and is more than holding their own against their exalted opposition, although their high defensive line does look like an accident waiting to happen.

25 min: Just inside the Real Sociedad half, Ousmane Dembele latches on to a long ball from deep, gallops upfield and with Kylian Mbappe upside him in support, goes it alone and shoots into the side-netting. The flag goes up for offside.

24 min: PSG get forward but a promising attack breaks down when Bradley Barcola fails to control a low pass out wide from Kylian Mbappe and lets the ball run out of play for a Real Sociedad throw-in.

22 min: Andre Silva stretches to get on the end of a Kubo cross and steers an excellent header from about 14 yards towards the far upright. Donnarumma looks beaten but watches in relief as the ball drifts narrowly wide. That was a superb effort by the La Real striker, as the ball from Kubo was slightly behind him.

20 min: Real Sociedad wins another free-kick in a promising area after Lucas Beraldo accidentally catches a rival with a stray elbow. Brais Mendez sends the ball into the PSG penalty area, where Danilo heads clear.

19 min: Real Sociedad corner. Kubo’s delivery to the near post is headed out of danger towards the far touchline by Vitinha.

18 min: Kubo picks up the ball on the right flank, then jinks this way and that before cutting inside on his left foot. He fails to get much power on his low shot and pulls the ball to the wrong side of the near upright.

15 min: Real Sociedad free-kick on the inside right. Brais Mendez floats the ball to the far post, where Mikel Merino sidefoots it across the face of goal but Marquinhos gets a foot in before anyone in a blue and white striped shirt can poke home from close range. That was well well-worked free-kick and a wonderful opportunity for Real Sociedad to take the lead goes to waste.

14 min: Takefusa Kubo dithers on the ball and misses an opportunity to pick out Mikel Merino with a through ball.

12 min: PSG gift the ball to Real Sociedad twice in quick succession but the Basque side is unable to do much with it. On the first occasion, Ander Barrentxea made ground up the inside left but his attempt to pick out Andre Silva in a good position is intercepted by Danilo.

10 min: PSG enjoy a period of sustained possession without doing much of interest with it. Their players seem happy enough to just ping the ball about between themselves in the middle third of the pitch.

8 min: The ball’s played up the right flank for Takefusa Zubo to chase, but he’s unable to control it and PSG left-back Lucas Beraldo tidies up, passing back to his goalkeeper Giannluigi Donnarumma.

7 min: Kylian Mbappe is sent on his way in behind the Real Sociedad high defensive line. He finds himself one on one with Alex Remiro and brings a smart save out of the visiting goalkeeper. He should have scored.

5 min: The ball’s played wide to Bradley Barcola, who is hugging the left touchline, with Ousmane Dembele doing the same on the right. He’s unable to get a cross in.

4 min: PSG get forward but are unable to get the ball to Kylian Mbappe in the middle, despite the best attempts of Ousmane Dembele and Fabian Ruiz.

3 min: Real Sociedad haven’t come here to sit back and defend. They’re playing a high line and pressing ferociously.

1 min: PSG get the ball rolling and almost immediately lose it and find themselves under pressure. Leading the line for Real Sociedad, Andre Silva rides a challenge from Marquinhos, finds himself in space and unleashes a shot from distance. Wide, but not by much.

Not long now: The pre-match light show has conluded and it’s time for our Italian referee Marco Guida and his team of match officials to lead both sets of players out on to the pitch, where they’ll line up for the Champions League anthem.

Paris Saint-Germain are hoping to avoid their third consecutive exit at this stage of the tournament, while Real Sociedad are hoping to make the quarter-finals for the first time in their history. It’s Valentine’s Day in the City of Love and kick-off is just a couple of minutes away.

Elsewhere in the Champions League: Lazio host Bayern Munich in tonight’s other Round of 16 first leg and you can follow the action from Rome with Niall McVeigh.

Lazio currently languishes in eighth place in Serie A, while Bayern Munich are second in the Bundesliga and hoping to bounce back from their weekend defeat at the hands of unbeaten league leaders Bayer Leverkusen.

Kieran Tierney interview: Despite having his season on loan at Real Sociedad from Arsenal interrupted by a couple of hamstring injuries, the Glaswegian is having the time of his life in San Sebastian, where it seems he could not be happier. Words: Sid Lowe.

Luis Enrique: “I think that when a team has a player of Kylian Mbappe’s calibre, the only thing you have to understand is that the more he plays, the better it is for everyone,” said PSG’s manager, upon being asked about his striker’s availability.

“We all benefit, that’s our goal, there’s no doubt about that. He could have played four days ago if it had been a final, but since that wasn’t the case I don’t think the risk was worth it. So he’s available and he’s been training like the rest of the players.”

Enrique refused to entertain a question regarding the possibility that this could be Mbappe’s final Champions League game at Parc des Princes as a PSG player. “No,” he said. “That’s not how I feel about it.”

• Referee: Marco Guida

• Referee’s assistants: Ciro Carbone and Giorgio Peretti

• Fourth official: Fabio Maresca

• Video Assistant Referees: Paolo Valeri

PSG: Donnarumma, Hakimi, Danilo Pereira, Marquinhos, Lucas Beraldo, Zaire Emery, Fabian, Vitinha, Dembele, Kylian Mbappe, Barcola.

Subs: Navas, Ugarte, Goncalo Ramos, Asensio, Hernandez, Muani, Mukiele, Carlos Soler, Ethan Mbappe, Mayulu, Tenas.

Real Sociedad: Remiro, Traore, Zubeldia, Le Normand, Galan, Mendez, Zubimendi, Merino, Kubo, Andre Silva, Barrenetxea.

Subs: Zakharyan, Marrero, Gonzalez, Olasagasti, Umar, Pacheco, Turrientes, Magunacelaya, Marin, Fraga, Aramburu.

Form guide: Since scraping through to the knockout stages of the Champions League on goal difference courtesy of a 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain are unbeaten in 10 games in all competitions and came from behind to beat Lille and open an 11-point gap at the top of Ligue 1 last time out. Luis Enrique’s side are currently on a 15-match unbeaten run but have gone off the Champions League to Spanish opposition in five of the past six seasons.

Currently sitting seventh in La Liga, nine points from the Champions League places, Real Sociedad’s form has been far less impressive since a scoreless draw at Inter ensured they finished top of Group D and advanced to the last 16. Imanol Alguacil’s side have struggled for any kind of consistency since then, winning four and drawing six of their 12 games in the interim. More worryingly, they have failed to trouble the scoreboard operator in any of their past four matches.

Rested for PSG’s win against Lille despite having recovered from a heel injury, Kylian Mbappe is expected to make his return tonight for the first-ever meeting between these teams. Luis Enrique will, however, be without Milan Skriniar, Nuno Mendes, Presnel Kimpembe Lyvin Kurzawa and Sergio Rico, who are all sidelined with injury.

On loan at Real Sociedad from Arsenal, Kieran Tierney will be a conspicuous absentee tonight as he recovers from the second hamstring tear he’s suffered since moving to the Basque country. Sheraldo Becker, Carlos Fernandez, Aihen Munoz and Alvaro Ordriozola are also expected to miss out. With 13 goals to his name this season, skipper Mikel Oyarzabal is Sociedad’s top scorer but he has sat out their past two games and is a major doubt for this evening.

It may be Valentine’s night in Paris but there is unlikely to be much romance in the air as Paris Saint-Germain welcome Real Sociedad to the French capital for the first leg of this Champions League round of 16 tie.

Still chasing the elusive European title their Qatari owners crave, the state-owned French champions have been pitted against the Basque side from the picturesque city of San Sebastien in one of the more intriguing match-ups of this round.

Given the bottomless financial resources Luis Enrique has at his disposal, it’s no surprise PSG are overwhelming favourites to win over two legs against comparative churchmice from neighbouring Spain.

However, given the French side’s penchant for blunderbussing themselves in both feet during the knockout stages of this tournament, it would be no massive surprise to see them come a cropper, or at the very least make life difficult for themselves. Kick-off at Parc des Princes is at 8pm (GMT), but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.