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Ligue 1: Strasbourg vs. Paris Saint-Germain – This Friday night, Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain visit the Stade de la Meinau to play Strasbourg in an attempt to win four straight away games in all competitions.
Last time out, Luis Enrique’s team let a two-goal lead slip in a 2-2 draw with Brest, and their hosts also had to settle for a point in a 1-1 draw against Clermont at home.
Strasbourg defeated Les Lanciers 3-1 at the Stade Gabriel-Montpied to eliminate them from the Coupe de France seven days before they faced off against Clermont in the premier flight.
However, it was clear that their hosts had taken a few lessons from that disappointing knockout loss.
After a close-range goal from Moise Sahi Dion put Strasbourg on the verge of a back-to-back victory over Clermont, Shamar Nicholson grabbed a defensive-splitting pass from Bilal Boutobba and scored into the top corner to give Pascal Gastien’s team a point with 52 minutes remaining.
Les Lanciers saw a few chances for Clermont to win big, but they were squandered as Strasbourg returned home after going eight games without a loss in all competitions—a far cry from their September and October losses.
Vieira’s solid team is content with mid-table mediocrity in an unremarkable 10th place after gaining 12 points from their past six Ligue 1 games.
Les Coureurs are nine points clear of both Monaco in fourth place and Lyon in the relegation playoff spot.
However, Vieira’s highly effective team shouldn’t be worrying about their future just now, as they only need to catch up to Reims in the Europa Conference League spot with five points left.
The hosts welcome PSG to their Stade de la Meinau base on the heels of an incredible 10-match league and cup scoring streak.
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The defending champions were supposedly cruising to victory against surprise package Brest on Sunday evening, with Marco Asensio’s exquisitely hit volley and Randal Kolo Muani’s tap-in telling the story of the first half. Certainly, Strasbourg’s productive sequence is nothing compared to theirs.
But whatever energy-boosting goodies the Brest team had been eating during halftime went down a storm, as Mahdi Camara’s shot deflected off Danilo Pereira to give Les Pirates a chance, and Mathias Pereira Lage’s superb near-post backheel sealed the victory in the 80th minute.
Bradley Barcola was given the walk of shame for two bookable offences during PSG’s collapse in the second half.
Despite not being able to win six straight games in all competitions, the Ligue 1 holders are surprisingly six points ahead of Nice at the top with a far better goal differential.
Les Parisiens aim to make it 17 away games without a loss since losing to Monaco in February 2023, and Enrique’s team has conceded just one goal in their last 360 minutes of top-flight away football before trying to make amends against Brest in the Coupe de France on February 7.
Though PSG’s defence has been tested in their past two trips to the Stade de la Meinau, both games have finished in a draw.
Nevertheless, the champions defeated Vieira’s team 3-0 at Parc des Princes in October and haven’t lost to their hosts in a competition since December 2017.
Strasbourg Ligue 1 form:
D W W W D D
Strasbourg form (all competitions):
W W W D W D
Paris Saint-Germain Ligue 1 form:
W W D W W D
Paris Saint-Germain form (all competitions):
W W W W W D
Saidou Sow, Strasbourg’s lone representative in the Africa Cup of Nations, has advanced to the quarterfinals with Guinea and will not play for Les Coureurs, who should be fielding the same group of players who were involved in their draw with Clermont.
Due to a muscle issue, former PSG forward Kevin Gameiro will probably not be able to rejoin his former employers. Lebo Mothiba (knee), Jeremy Sebas (knee), and Ismael Doukoure (ankle) are also out of action and will remain in the medical room.
If Vieira feels inclined to switch back to a more defensive configuration, Gerzino Nyamsi is a strong contender to return to the starting lineup in a back five, where Thomas Delaine will pose a challenge to Frederic Guilbert’s position on the left side.
Regarding PSG, Achraf Hakimi’s Morocco are eliminated from the AFCON after a shocking 2-0 loss to South Africa in the round of 16. The right-back was found to have fumbled his lines from the penalty spot during that match. It is uncertain if Hakimi will be picked for Friday’s match.
While Layvin Kurzawa (back), Milan Skriniar (ankle), Nuno Mendes (hamstring), Presnel Kimpembe (Achilles), and Sergio Rico (head trauma) are all out due to injury, PSG’s main threat against Brest, Barcola, is suspended. In contrast, Lee Kang-in South Korea is still in the running for the Asian Cup.
With talk of a potential transfer to Bayer Leverkusen probably going nowhere, Asensio should be back in the PSG starting lineup following a strong debut performance over the weekend. Fringe goalkeeper Alexandre Letellier is doubtful due to sickness but would just be warming the bench.
Strasbourg possible starting lineup:
Sels; Senaya, Perrin, Nyamsi, Sylla, Delaine; Mwanga, Sissoko, Diarra; Emegha, Dion
Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:
Donnarumma; Zaire-Emery, Pereira, Marquinhos, Hernandez; Asensio, Ugarte, Vitinha; Dembele, Kolo Muani, Mbappe
Our prediction for this match 2-0 or 3-1 won by Paris Saint-Germain
