Paris Saint-Germain are aiming to put the midweek disappointment against Bayern Munich behind them and end a run of three consecutive defeats in all competitions when they host in-form LOSC Lille on Sunday, but the northerners come to the capital in good form.
Paris Saint-Germain – LOSC Lille Sunday at 13:00 CET (1200 GMT)
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PSG return to action at the Parc des Princes, the scene of their 1-0 loss to Bayern in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday. Kingsley Coman’s second-half goal against the club where he began his career has left the Parisians facing a tough task if they are to turn the tie around in Germany on March 8, but it is certainly not an impossible job.
Their performance in the final half-hour of the game, once Kylian Mbappé came off the bench on his earlier-than-expected return from a thigh injury, offers cause for optimism as Paris seek to avoid exiting the Champions League in the first knockout round for what would be the fifth time in seven seasons.
Of more immediate concern is their need to stop the current rot. The defeat against Bayern followed on from their 3-1 reverse away to AS Monaco last weekend and a Coupe de France exit at the hands of Olympique de Marseille before that. PSG have just suffered three straight defeats in the same season for the first time since late 2011, in the early months following the Qatari takeover which has gone on to completely transform the club.
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The reigning Ligue 1 Uber Eats champions have not lost four on the bounce in over two decades, and their form in general in 2023 is concerning. Christophe Galtier’s team have lost five of their 11 games since the turn of the year. That is as many defeats as they suffered in the whole of 2022, and that is only if you take into account a Coupe de France exit on penalties last season. The capital club’s five wins in this calendar year include two against lower-league opposition in the calendar year.
Their recent home record does offer some encouragement. PSG are unbeaten in their last 33 home league games, winning 28. They have also lost just one of their last 23 home meetings with Lille. But fitness problems are dogging Galtier at the moment. For a start it remains to be seen how Mbappé will be handled following his rapid return from the thigh problem that had been expected to see him sidelined for three weeks – he was back in action in under a fortnight.
LOSC up into European places
Achraf Hakimi came off at half-time against Bayern while Galtier later admitted Marquinhos had to grit his teeth to come through the second half of that game. Nordi Mukiele has not played for a month now, while Renato Sanches is on the sidelines with a hamstring problem.
While PSG remain five points clear at the top of the table despite their poor form, Lille ended last weekend in the European places having climbed above Stade Rennais FC into fifth, their highest position in the table since August. That is just reward for Les Dogues, who have been a joy to watch at times this season under Portuguese coach Paulo Fonseca.
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Lille arrive in the 16th arrondissement having lost just once in their last 10 league games, with that defeat coming against a rejuvenated OGC Nice. Their defence has been formidable in recent games and Fonseca has a variety of options in attack, not just 16-goal top scorer Jonathan David, who bagged a brace in last weekend’s 2-0 victory over RC Strasbourg Alsace.
“We have lots of reasons to be satisfied. We wanted to change quite a lot of things during the close season in terms of the mentality and the profile of the players, so that they would fit Paulo’s way of playing. We still need to drive that home. But we are also in a competition and so results are important. We need to have the instinct of a carnivore, be more clinical and more deadly,” club president Olivier Létang, the former PSG sporting director, said in an interview with AFP.
Lille have been warned though. They lost 7-1 at home to Paris at the start of the season. They will also miss Brazilian full-back Ismaily due to injury, while Adam Ounas is working his way back to fitness after a thigh injury.
Possible teams
Paris SG: Donnarumma; Pembélé, Marquinhos (c), Kimpembe, Bernat; Fabián Ruiz, Danilo Pereira, Vitinha; Messi; Ekitiké, Neymar
Lille: Chevalier; Diakité, Yoro, Fonte (c), Djaló; André, André Gomes; Cabella, Angel Gomes, Bamba; David
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