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PSGvs.Clermont

sportsmole.co.uk, 4 April 2024, 11:27
Paris Saint-Germain welcome Clermont to the Parc des Princes in Ligue 1 on Saturday in a clash between top and bottom.

Luis Enrique's side are now just three wins away from the title, while Clermont need a miracle to survive given their current predicament.

Match preview

Confidence will be sky-high in the PSG camp after a fantastic win in Le Classique over Marseille last weekend.

Despite going down to 10 men late in the first half after Lucas Beraldo's harsh dismissal, PSG rallied in the second period to win 2-0, thanks to goals from Vitinha and Goncalo Ramos.

The win keeps PSG 12 points ahead of Brest in second, with their favourable goal difference meaning nine points will be enough for the title.

That should not be too much of a difficult ask for the Parisiens, considering they are now 22 games unbeaten in Ligue 1.

PSG are on the cusp of matching their longest run without a clean sheet at home in the 21st century, though, as they have now conceded in their last seven league matches here at the Parc des Princes.

Tightening up defensively will be important ahead of their Champions League quarter-final against Barcelona, but the league have done all they can to aid PSG in their hopes of progressing to the semi-finals, as they will now not be in league action for two weeks.

PSG enjoyed cup success in midweek though, seeing off Rennes to reach the Coupe de France final thanks to Kylian Mbappe's solitary strike shortly before the interval.

In comparison, Clermont are in dire straits as the only club in Europe's top 10 leagues yet to score 20 goals this season.

As favourites for the drop, they fired another blank at the weekend, losing 3-0 on home soil to Toulouse, which has greatly increased the likelihood of them suffering relegation this season.

In the last nine Ligue 1 matchdays, Clermont have the fewest points, the fewest goals and the most goals conceded, as they now sit seven points from safety.

No club in the three-points-per-win era has ever survived with so few points at this stage of a Ligue 1 season, illustrating the task Clermont have on their hands.

After last season's eight-placed finish, Pascal Gastien has been unable to replicate that, with his side unlikely to pull themselves off the foot of the table before the season is out.

One of their 20 points this season did come against PSG though, and they also won in this fixture last season, coming from 2-0 down to win 3-2 in the capital on the final day.

That was a stark improvement on their first three meetings with PSG, which all ended in huge defeats, conceding 15 goals.

Paris Saint-Germain Ligue 1 form:

W

D

D

D

W

W

Paris Saint-Germain form (all competitions):

W

D

W

W

W

W

Clermont Ligue 1 form:

L

D

L

L

W

L

Team News

Huge rotation is likely for PSG after playing a cup semi-final as recently as Wednesday, and with the Barcelona clash on the horizon in the week.

Mbappe is set to be one of the players who will drop to the bench, which will likely spark more attention from the media towards Luis Enrique, who labelled their incessant questioning around the forward as "boring".

Bradley Barcola will remain out with a hamstring issue, while at the back, Presnel Kimpembe and Layvin Kurzawa are also sidelined with injury.

Elbasan Rashani's straight red card in Clermont's recent win over Le Havre means the Kosovo international will remain suspended here.

After missing the weekend's clash with Toulouse, goalkeeper Mory Diaw, the experienced Maxime Gonalons and Cheick Oumar Konate are all likely to miss out for the visitors.

Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:

Navas; Hakimi, Mukiele, Danilo Pereira, Hernandez; Carlos Soler, Ugarte, Zaire-Emery; Lee, Goncalo Ramos, Marco Asensio

Clermont possible starting lineup:

N'Diaye; Matsima, Pelmard, Caufriez; Zeffane, Magnin, Boutouba, Armougom; Cham, Virginius, Allevinah

We say: Paris Saint-Germain 4-0 Clermont

Despite rotation being likely, PSG should still comfortably sweep Clermont aside here to move one step closer to a third straight title.

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