Chelsea's Youthful Side Faces PSG In Champions League Last-16, Rosenior Says Age Is Not A Factor

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Liam Rosenior is preparing Chelsea for a demanding Champions League last-16 tie against Paris Saint-Germain, and the head coach is clear that youth will not decide the contest when the holders host the Blues at Parc des Princes.

Chelsea aim to take a strong result back to Stamford Bridge for the second leg next week, with Rosenior stressing performance over age as his squad, one of the youngest in the competition, prepares to face the reigning champions.

Data from this season shows both clubs rely heavily on young line-ups in Europe. Chelsea’s starting XIs average 24 years and 31 days, while PSG’s average is 24 years and 195 days, placing both sides among the youngest in this Champions League campaign.

The meeting continues a rare trend in the knockout rounds. The previous time both teams in a Champions League knockout tie started with average ages under 25 came in March 2012, when Bayern Munich and Basel did so in the second leg of their last-16 clash.

Rosenior pointed to PSG’s European title last season as proof that young groups can succeed at the highest level. Asked about the relative inexperience on both sides, Rosenior said: "They won it last year, said Rosenior when asked about Chelsea and PSG players being so young. It doesn't matter about the age, I love working with good players. I love working with this group regardless of their age. Malo [Gusto] told me how old he was in the car on the way here. 22 and talking about going to a World Cup with France. Not only their ability, quality or physicality but their temperament."

Chelsea’s Champions League record against PSG underlines the scale of the task. Across eight previous meetings in the competition, Chelsea have won two, drawn three and lost three, with only Bayern Munich and Barcelona inflicting more defeats on the London club.

Rosenior will become the 16th manager whose first Champions League knockout tie comes against the defending champions. Of the previous 15 coaches in that situation, only Ralf Rangnick managed victory, when Schalke beat Inter 5-2 in the first leg of their April 2011 quarter-final.

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Rosenior also spoke about drawing ideas from Luis Enrique during time spent working in France with Strasbourg. "I don't have too big an ego to say I don't look at other coaches and learn from them, said Rosenior. I showed the Strasbourg players clips of PSG last year. They were magnificent at the time. I want to win tomorrow. The biggest mark of respect as a coach is when other coaches look at your game and say they like aspects of it, and it's nice because that's started to happen to me."

The build-up also includes the usual off-field glimpses, with Chelsea sharing images from their arrival in the French capital as attention grows on how this young squad handles the occasion under Rosenior against Luis Enrique’s experienced PSG group.

As Chelsea prepare for the first leg, Rosenior’s message centres on temperament, tactical discipline and taking lessons from Europe’s best. The tie offers this young Chelsea side another major test, while PSG defend their title against familiar Champions League opposition.