Paris Saint-Germain will again look to Lionel Messi to lead them to victory in the absence of the injured Neymar and Kylian Mbappé when the Ligue 1 Uber Eats leaders play host to in-form Toulouse on Saturday (kick-off 5pm CET).
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Due to an adductor problem, Neymar missed the 3-1 midweek win at Montpellier in which Mbappé picked up a thigh injury that will sideline him for three weeks, including the upcoming UEFA Champions League Last 16 first-leg tie against Bayern Munich on 14 February.
Messi scored his 14th competitive goal of the season as he played a central role in what was only PSG's third league win since the restart after the World Cup, leaving his team five points clear at the top of the table. The 35-year-old Argentine has returned from leading his country to international football's ultimate prize in Qatar in the sort of the form he showed during the tournament, and with his fellow superstars sidelined, the onus — more than ever — lies with him to get PSG firing.
WATCH: Messi's magic inspires PSG to win in Montpellier
"Leo Messi took charge against Montpellier, as soon as Kylian Mbappé and Sergio Ramos left the field. He was a natural leader and the players got behind him. I congratulated everyone for doing the necessary work to get this win, which was difficult to achieve," said coach Christophe Galtier, who saw Ramos limp off with a groin strain on the half-hour mark, shortly after Mbappé had left the Stade de la Mosson pitch.
"Neymar Jr and Kylian Mbappé's absence is inevitably a shame as there were many connections between these three players. I now have to organise the team taking into account these combined absences. Leo Messi will continue to play in his own area, always in the area where he likes to play. After that, it will also be up to the players next to him to seize the opportunities that there will be and for everyone to raise their level of play."
Marco Verratti serves the second of his two-game ban for his red card in the 1-1 draw at home to Reims last weekend, which — though disappointing in terms of performance — extended PSG's unbeaten home run to 32 league games at the Parc des Princes, a streak unmatched in Europe's top five leagues.
Despite that, Toulouse are actually the form team of Ligue 1 Uber Eats. Philippe Montanier's side ended the first part of the season with three defeats, and a 6-1 loss at Marseille for their first game after the restart did not bode well.
But the newly promoted side's fears of an imminent return to the second tier have been allayed by a glut of excellent performances since the turn of the year, with four wins and a draw in 2023 to put a healthy 11-point cushion between themselves and the bottom four.
WATCH: Toulouse roll on with big win vs. Troyes
"They are a promoted team that has had a very good start to the league," said Galtier, who spent three years in Toulouse as a player in the early 90s. "Since 2023 they have been very successful. I regularly watch their matches because I spent three years there, so I remain attached to TFC and to the city of Toulouse. They are a very dangerous team with a lot of qualities, especially on set-pieces. I think it will be an open game."
Montanier's men extended their excellent run with a 4-1 midweek win over Troyes in which Thijs Dallinga scored his fourth league goal in as many shots on target and Branco van den Boomen also found the net from the penalty spot, making himself the Ligue 1 midfielder with most goal involvements (11, 4 goals & 7 assists) this season. Their boss, however, is conscious that the trip to the capital is unlikely to prove quite as smooth.
"In Paris, it'll be nothing like what it was against Troyes," said Montanier, who remains without last season's leading scorer Rhys Healey as he works his way back to fitness following an ACL injury in Round 3."The team has to be able to go again from scratch. Our collective performance must be up to the occasion. Winning against a top-10 team is one of our challenges for the second part of the season. We're going to try and achieve it."
Probable teams
PSG: Donnarumma; Mendes, Pembele, Marquinhos, Hakimi; Ruiz, Danilo, Vitinha; Soler; Ekitike, Messi.
Toulouse: Dupé; Desler (or Kamanzi), Rouault, Nicolaisen, Suazo; Spierings, Van den Boomen, Dejaegere (or Chaibi); Aboukhlal, Dallinga, Chaibi (or Ratao)
>> ONE TO WATCH: Thijs Dallinga, Toulouse's in-form Dutch forward
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