Paris Saint-Germain - Olympique Lyonnais Sunday 21:00 CET (2000 GMT)

PSG ended last weekend on top of the table but, a third of the way through the campaign, their potential challengers are for once keeping pace, including Lyon. Two points behind the reigning champions, Rudi Garcia’s side have the chance to leapfrog the capital club with a victory at the Parc des Princes. That said, having not won there since October 2007 on their way to a domestic double - they have not won the Ligue 1 title since that season - it is not hard to imagine that they would settle for a draw.

Yet even without fans, this is an alluring match-up of the two clubs who represented France with such distinction in the ‘Final Eight’ of the UEFA Champions League in Lisbon in August. Only Bayern Munich could get the better of either side, and OL will feel they would have given a better account of themselves than either Olympique de Marseille of Stade Rennais FC - with  a total of one win and four points between them - in this season’s group stage.

PSG, of course, have just secured their place in the draw for the Champions League last 16 after beating Istanbul Basaksehir 5-1 in a game that started on Tuesday and finished a day later following an unprecedented walkout by both teams in a racism row. In some ways it was not the best way to prepare for a huge league game, but their two superstar forwards warmed up in the best possible manner, with Neymar Jr.’s stunning hat-trick and Kylian Mbappé’s first Champions League goals in a year. “My players were brilliant on and off the pitch,” was how coach Thomas Tuchel summed it up.

Watch: Mbappé gets his 100th PSG goal in win at Montpellier

Neymar has scored seven goals in his last four appearances, while Mbappé is also fresh from notching his 100th goal in a PSG shirt in last weekend’s 3-1 win at Montpellier Hérault SC. With seven goals in 12 appearances, Moise Kean’s form has been such that Angel di Maria’s place in the side has come under threat.

PSG may be without Juan Bernat and Pablo Sarabia, while Mauro Icardi continues to struggle for fitness, but Tuchel still has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal and the task facing Lyon is a huge one.

Lyon unbeaten in 10

Winless on their last 12 visits to Paris on league duty, OL failed to beat PSG in four attempts last season. Yet that is just one way of looking at it. Garcia’s team did also push Paris all the way to penalties in the Coupe de la Ligue final on a sweltering July evening, and their current run of form is worthy of a title contender.

Without the distraction of a European campaign for the first time in almost quarter of a century, Lyon are unbeaten in 10 games. They have won six of their last seven matches, the exception being a battling 1-1 draw away to high-flying Lille despite Lyon having Marcelo sent off early in the second half.

Watch: Lyon ease to victory at Metz

Garcia has struck on a winning formula in attack, with a 4-3-3 formation featuring a front three of Memphis Depay through the middle, Tino Kadewere on the right and Karl Toko-Ekambi on the left. They have scored 17 goals between them, with Toko-Ekambi netting seven, all in Lyon’s last seven games. The big loser has been Moussa Dembélé, who has started just one of the last eight matches and has scored only one goal this season.

“We know we are going to the Parc des Princes, but we can go there with a little bit more ambition,” said Garcia after last weekend’s 3-1 win at FC Metz. “We know PSG are a level above everybody else when they are at 100 percent. I don’t know if we will be playing them at a good time, but we won’t be going there to roll over.”

Thiago Mendes is available again after suspension for Lyon and will challenge compatriot Bruno Guimarães for a starting berth in midfield. Seventeen-year-old forward Rayan Cherki is suspended after being sent off late on at Metz.

Probable teams

Paris SG: Navas; Kehrer, Danilo Pereira, Kimpembe (c); Florenzi, Verratti, Paredes, Di Maria, Bakker; Neymar, Mbappé

Lyon: Lopes; Dubois, Marcelo, Denayer, Cornet; Paqueta, Mendes, Aouar; Kadewere, Depay (c), Toko-Ekambi