Croatia
Indonesia
Nigeria
South Africa

PSGvs.Lens

sportsmole.co.uk, 31 October 2024, 07:20
Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain welcome Lens to the French capital on Saturday evening as they seek to maintain their three-point buffer at the summit.

Luis Enrique's side have taken advantage of Monaco's recent slip to move clear at the top and will now face the other side that saw their unbeaten start ended last weekend.

Match preview

Despite question marks still remaining about PSG's start in Europe, with just four points from their opening three games, they are showing all the signs of being the dominant force domestically again.

PSG are the only side still unbeaten after both Monaco and Lens lost last weekend, and Enrique oversaw a very impressive win over bitter rivals Marseille in Le Classique.

For the first time in the fixture's history, PSG led 3-0 at the break away to l'OM, as a first-half red card to Amine Harit allowed the Parisians to cruise to a commanding victory.

That means they are now unbeaten in 12 trips to the Velodrome in Ligue 1, and they have not conceded at that venue since a 5-1 win in 2017.

Sitting top, PSG now look unlikely to relinquish that position after a few early blips saw them drop four points at the start of the campaign.

With seven wins and two draws on the board though, remaining undefeated against Lens here will see them start unbeaten after 10 league games for the 8th time since the Qatari takeover in 2011 - for context, only two other clubs in Ligue 1 have managed to do it at least once in that timeframe, Nice and Monaco.

Form at the Parc des Princes has been imperious so far for PSG, despite looking unconvincing against Girona and PSV Eindhoven in Europe, they have netted 16 goals in their four home Ligue 1 games this season, even if they have only kept one clean sheet in 15 league games here.

Lens could not handle PSG last season, losing both encounters to the eventual champions, and they could suffer a fourth straight defeat against the club from the capital here for just the fourth time in their history.

The visitors won five games in succession against PSG heading into the 2007-08 season, but they are winless in the subsequent eight meetings, losing five.

Heading to the capital is already a daunting task, but Lens will now go there bruised following a cruel late defeat in the Derby du Nord against Lille last weekend.

The draw specialists looked set for a sixth in seven games, but a controversial penalty saw Jonathan David give LOSC the lead in the 98th minute, before a second was added just minutes later, with manager Will Still bemoaning the decision afterwards.

Pragmatism from the new Lens boss has paid off to an extent, as the Blood and Gold are in the European hunt, despite drawing the majority of their games so far, as they sit fifth just three points off the top four.

That is made even more remarkable when you consider that no club outside the relegation zone has a worse attacking record than them, with Still's men having netted only nine times in nine games so far.

Paris Saint-Germain Ligue 1 form:

W

D

W

D

W

W

Paris Saint-Germain form (all competitions):

W

L

D

W

D

W

Lens Ligue 1 form:

D

D

D

D

W

L

Team News

PSG will be without defender Lucas Beraldo due to suspension, as well as Presnel Kimpembe, Lucas Hernandez and Goncalo Ramos, who are all recovering from long-term injuries.

Bradley Barcola has been the player of the season so far in Ligue 1, and his tally of eight is just one short of Lens' entire total so far this season.

With a clash against Atletico Madrid coming up in midweek though, Enrique may be tempted to rest Barcola, and some other key players ahead of that important encounter.

Like PSG, Lens will also be without a South American defender due to an accumulation of yellow cards, because Facundo Medina will sit this one out for the visitors.

Medina started as a wing-back last week, but Jhoanner Chaves is likely to come in, and there was believed to be no injury involved in Przemyslaw Frankowski's half-time sub against Lille.

Wesley Said, Jimmy Cabot, Martin Satriano and Ruben Aguilar are all set to remain on the sidelines for Lens though, as Still may name a similar side to the one that was edged out in the Derby du Nord.

Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:

Donnarumma; Hakimi, Skriniar, Pacho, Nuno Mendes; Mayulu, Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha; Marco Asensio, Kolo Muani, D Doue

Lens possible starting lineup:

Samba; Gradit, Danso, Khusanov; Frankowski, Thomasson, Diouf, Chavez; Sotoca, Nzola, Zaroury

We say: Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 Lens

PSG's incapability of keeping a clean sheet at home will give Lens belief that they have a chance, but the scoring record of the league leaders speaks for itself so far, having netted three or more in all of their home games.

Previews by email

Top News

22 December 2024 talksport.com Even when the pulse settled a little after this compellingspectacle it was still difficult to know quite where to start todissect this nine-goal thriller. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Ange Postecoglou cut an irritated figure as he claimed he's going to stop answering questions about Tottenham's tactics. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur have supposedly expressed an interest in signing Borussia Dortmund attacker Julian Brandt next month. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's Mohamed Salah refused to give anything away when asked whether he could break Ian Rush's all-time goalscoring record after the Reds' remarkable 6-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's astonishing 6-3 Premier League win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday evening saw a multitude of records and achievements surpassed, as the Reds moved four points clear at the top of the table. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Al-Ahli have reportedly emerged as the favourites to sign Marcus Rashford, with the Manchester United attacker widely expected to be on the move during the January transfer window. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Everton have become surprise leaders in one statistic across Europe thanks to their draw at home to Chelsea. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool will spend Christmas Day four points clear at the top of the Premier League table thanks to a breathtaking 6-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur in North London. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Kylian Mbappe struck a landmark effort to put himself firmly among Real Madrid's elite. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has insisted that he is "absolutely happy" with his side's goalless draw at Everton on Sunday. 22 December 2024 talksport.com If you thought Mohamed Salah couldn't set yet another record, think again. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk For a second time in successive Gulf Cup competitions, The United Arab Emirates and Kuwait will meet in the group stage, with this upcoming game taking place on Tuesday at Jaber Al-Amad International Stadium in Kuwait City. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayer Leverkusen defender Jeremie Frimpong is supposedly not a 'concrete target' for Liverpool amid speculation over Trent Alexander-Arnold's future. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid moved into second spot in the La Liga table courtesy of a 4-2 success over Sevilla in Sunday afternoon's contest at Bernabeu, with Los Blancos ending 2024 on a high note. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Oman and Qatar will compete in the Gulf Cup for the first time in over a decade on Tuesday at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, each seeking their first victory in this edition of the tournament. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly received offers from three clubs for defender Eric Garcia, but the player is pushing against a move away from Catalonia during the January transfer window. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have broken two unwanted club Premier League records in their humiliating 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk New Wolverhampton Wanderers' boss Vitor Pereira earned three points when his side comfortably beat Ruud van Nistelrooy's Leicester City 3-0 away from home on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Aaron Ramsdale was spotted wearing a modified goalkeeper glove in Southampton's Premier League clash at Fulham. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea squandered the chance to go top of the Premier League table for a couple of hours as Everton held the Blues to a goalless stalemate at Goodison Park. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Djed Spence has been named in the Tottenham Hotspur starting XI for their Premier League clash with Liverpool, while Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo get the nod up front for the visitors. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Manchester United were beaten 3-0 by Bournemouth in a defeat that saw Ruben Amorim's side achieve an unwanted record. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Gary Neville believes that Ruben Amorim will allow Marcus Rashford to leave Manchester United for the sake of 'himself and the club'. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Pep Guardiola isn't immune from the sack at Manchester City having continued their unprecedented and dismal run of form. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have reportedly earmarked Leeds United shot-stopper Illan Meslier as one of two goalkeeper targets ahead of the January transfer window. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly identified Burnley's James Trafford as their top transfer target for the January transfer window. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Paris Saint-Germain defender Nuno Mendes has reportedly indicated he will take time to consider his future before he commits to a new contract. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Eddie Howe will be nervous about holding onto star striker Alexander Isak at Newcastle as his fine goalscoring form continues. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has named his starting side for Sunday's Premier League clash with Bournemouth at Old Trafford. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Enzo Maresca has opted to use Levi Colwill as a replacement for the suspended Marc Cucurella for Sunday's Premier League game at Everton.