Warren Zaïre-Emery, PSG
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Reims-PSG preview: Zaïre-Emery to help PSG bounce back?

Reims-PSG preview: Zaïre-Emery to help PSG bounce back?

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Publish on 11/10 at 14:35

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Warren Zaïre Emery could make post-war history with France next week, but first the Paris Saint-Germain teenage prodigy will try to help his team get over their UEFA Champions League disappointment and see off in-form Reims on Saturday to maintain the momentum in his club's Ligue 1 Uber Eats title defence.

>> LIVE SCORING, STATS AND COMMENTARY 

 

Zaïre-Emery, 17, will become the youngest senior international debutant for France since 1914 if he features against either Gibraltar or Greece in Les Bleus' upcoming UEFA EURO 2024 qualifiers after being called into the squad for the first time by Didier Deschamps.

 

The PSG youth academy graduate has already earned the confidence of club boss Luis Enrique, who again named Zaïre-Emery in the starting line-up for his team's Champions League defeat at AC Milan in midweek.

 

WATCH: PSG bring Montpellier to heel at the Parc

 

 

While their European destiny remains in the balance, PSG's run of four successive Ligue 1 Uber Eats wins means they have recovered nicely from a stumbling start to the new season to come into the game in second place in the table

 

"Your last result sets the terms for the following game. We're looking at what we must improve, we have to accentuate the positives and keep working. It's a completely different competition," said Luis Enrique, who saw his team pick apart Montpellier 3-0 in their most recent domestic outing before slipping to the 2-1 defeat in Italy on Tuesday. 

 

"I hope that we'll be able to bounce back as we have already shown we can. We have to have the right attitude to turn things round as of Saturday. It's clear that we're still not leaders in the league nor the Champions League. So we still have to improve."

 

The PSG boss will be forced to make changes with the suspensions of Achraf Hakimi and Randal Kolo Muani for the game. Presnel Kimpembe, Nuno Mendes, Keylor Navas and Danilo are all sidelined by injury, while Marco Asensio has recovered from a foot problem but remains short of match fitness.

 

 

"Reims are an aggressive team that plays good football, but we're prepared for the game. We know it won't be easy, they have a good idea of how they want to play and they press well. It'll be a tough game, we'll have to be on our guard from the start of the match," added the PSG boss.

 

"They're one of the best sides this season, with a well organised team that knows how to exploit space. They're going to play to win. It'll be an intense, difficult match, and we'll need to focus for 90 minutes." 

 

Reims do head into the match in tremendous form too. Junya Ito's goal was enough for them to win at Nantes last time out, despite coach Will Still being suspended and his younger brother, Nicolas, on the touchline.

 

WATCH: Ito keeps Reims rolling at Nantes

 

 

It was the Champagne club's sixth win in their opening 11 games - the last time they achieved that tally so early in a top-flight campaign was the 1974-75 season when Still was not even born. Reims are winless in seven league matches against PSG and have only scored once in that run, though that did come in the teams' 1-1 draw last season. 

 

"We're going to face Paris on Saturday and we'll try to cause them problems by forcing them to do things that they don't necessarily want to do," said Still, who is seeking to return some of their lustre to the two-time European Cup runners-up following last season's 11th-place finish that left Reims as far from the European places as the relegation zone.

 

"We're trying to go in the right direction and have an environment which enables everyone to be productive and to perform well. We no longer just want to be the Ligue 1 club that finishes 13th or 14th and is safe in March. Historically, we're a very big club, and let's be proud to be Stade de Reims."

 

Veteran defender Yunis Abdelhamid is set to make his 200th Ligue 1 appearance, but Still is without the injured trio of Ibrahim Diakité, Marshall Munetsi and Keito Nakamura while leading scorer Teddy Teuma will not be able to add to his team-high four league goals as the Malta international is suspended. 

 

Probable teams


Reims: Diouf; Agbadou, Okumu, Abdelhamid (c); De Smet, Matusiwa, Richardson, Foket; Ito, Salama, Daramy

 

PSG: Donnarumma; Hernandez, Marquinhos (c), Skriniar, Mukiele; Zaïre-Emery, Ugarte, Lee; Mbappé, Ramos, Dembélé

 

>> ONE TO WATCH: PSG's midfield prodigy Warren Zaïre-Emery

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