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Paris Saint-Germain are arriving into this fixture on the back of an absolute rampage carried out against sixth tier side Pays de Cassel in the Coupe De France. They will now resume their title fight in the Ligue 1 2022/23 with a clash against Reims at home at the Parc des Princes in Paris on Sunday evening.
Christophe Galtier’s side were at their ruthless best in the Coupe De France recently and put seven goals past an unsuspecting Pays de Cassel in the cup without any reply. On the other hand, William Still’s team is arriving to this contest on the back of their 3-0 success over Les Herbiers in the Round of 32 of the cup competition.
Paris Saint Germain’s visit of the Stade Bollaert-Delelis may have served ominous bearings given that it was the location where the Parisians suffered their first loss in the 2022/23 Ligue 1 campaign at the hands of Lens. The latter handed them a 3-1 humbling earlier in January to stun them.
However, those dreaming of a fairytale giant slaughtering story in the Coupe De France were quickly rebuffed when PSG went to town on Pays as the two sides locked horns in the North. It was a five-star performance from star man Kylian Mbappe who found the back of the net an astonishing five times. Meanwhile, Neymar and Carlos Soler also got on the scoresheet and put the minnows out of their misery with a 7-0 demolition job.
It was a game where Galtier was not shy of fielding his biggest players in order to avoid the potential for any shock or unforeseen drama. It got the job done in style for Les Parisiens who will now square off with Le Classique rivals Marseille in the last 16 of the Coupe De France.
PSG had recently returned from a short trip to Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Their highlight of the tour was a 5-4 victory over Riyadh All Stars XI in a game which pitted Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo against each other for probably the last time in their careers.
They are now set out to return to winning ways in Ligue 1 after being nullified by a depleted Rennes side 1-0 at Roazhon Park on January 15.
As far as their domestic title challenge is concerned, the side from the capital still possesses a three-point lead over Lens at the top of the Ligue 1 table. They have won 15 of their 19 matches and have drawn twice while also losing twice. Both those losses have arrived in their last three matches and PSG will be looking for an uptick in form. They have collected 47 points with their efforts so far and will be hoping to extend their lead at the top of the table to six over Lens.
Meanwhile, Sang et Or could move level on points with PSG if they beat Troyes on Saturday, their inferior goal difference means that Les Parisiens should not be in any danger of losing first place for now.
PSG’s customary domestic title is far from assured this season, though – with Marseille also just five points behind the capital giants – but they have won each of their last seven Ligue 1 contests at the Parc des Princes and are unbeaten in 31 top-flight home games since a 1-0 loss to Lille in April 2021.
Reims’ last encounter at the Coupe De France also featured a similar routine as their rivals on Sunday. They too, scored multiple goals without conceding any and this allowed them to progress to the next round of the cup competition in France as well.
Reims dispatched with the threat of Les Herbiers from the fourth-tier without breaking a sweat. Folarin Balogun, on loan from Arsenal, broke the deadlock in the first half after converting his spot-kick from the penalty spot. Meanwhile, Alexis Flips and Martin Adeline also found the back of the net in the second half to put the finishing touches on a comfortable victory for Reims. They will now have one eye on their rivals in the Round of 16, Toulouse, but the wonderful job that Still has done since taking over the side is attracting a lot of attention in both France and in Europe.
The 30-year-old manager, who is as old as PSG’s Neymar, has now overseen 11 consecutive matches without suffering a loss. He had replaced Oscar Garcia as the head coach of the side. In their last Ligue 1 encounter, Reims held Nice to a goalless stalemate and that result has left Les Rouges et Blancs 11th in the Ligue 1 table, level with Les Aiglons and ninth-placed Lyon on 25 points.
Still may be a relatively inexperienced manager compared to some of the more illustrious names that occupy the dugouts in Ligue 1 but this hasn’t prevented him from shaping up an impenetrable defence for Reims. His side has now kept clean sheets in each of their last four matches across all competitions.
They are also unbeaten in their last 11 games in Ligue 1 before they make the trip to the French capital to take on the defending champions. However, seven of those matches have seen them sharing points with their rivals after managing draws.
That spectacular run of form also includes a goalless stalemate against PSG at the Stade Auguste-Delaune in October, but Les Parisiens have posted back-to-back 4-0 wins in their last two home contests against Reims, whose last goal against the hosts came all the way back in September 2019.
PSG vs SDR, Ligue 1 2022/23
Date: 30th January, 2023
Time: 1:15 AM IST
Venue: Parc des Princes, Paris
FORM GUIDE:
Paris Saint Germain Ligue 1 form:
- W-W-W-L-W-L
Paris Saint Germain form (all competitions):
- L-W-W-L-W-W
Reims Ligue 1 form:
- W-D-W-D-W-D
Reims form (all competitions):
- D-W-D-W-D-W
HEAD-TO-HEAD:
Paris Saint Germain wins: 11
Draws: 3
Reims wins: 3
TEAM NEWS:
Paris Saint Germain Team News:
PSG may miss the services of a couple of their players as they prepare to welcome Reims at home. Defender Presnel Kimpembe is still out injured and hasn’t returned to training so far. Meanwhile, Nordi Mukiele suffered a hamstring issue during the match with Rennes and will have to spend the next few weeks out on the sidelines.
However, the positive news is that Marco Verratti is back for the defending champions and he will be expected to play a major part in this game as well.
Kimpembe recently hit the headlines after losing vice-captain duties to Mbappe – claiming that he only heard about the club’s decision through the media – and Galtier should stick with the pairing of Sergio Ramos and Marquinhos in his absence.
Even as the headlines continue to swirl surrounding Lionel Messi and whether he will extend his contract with PSG, Galtier had opted to rest the World Cup-winning captain for the bout with Pays de Cassel but the Argentine is expected to return to the fold here to consolidate their famed trio.
Reims Team News:
Similarly, Reims will also be missing the services of two players. Nathanael Mbuku and Noah Jean Holm are expected to be out of contention. On the other hand, Thibault de Smet also had to miss the victory over Les Herbiers with a foot injury and is also a major doubt for the contest.
Balogun’s spot kick in the Coupe de France made it 11 goals in all tournaments for the 21-year-old this season, as he now prepares to face just two of the six players – in Neymar and Mbappe – to have scored more Ligue 1 goals than his 10.
Paris Saint Germain possible starting lineup:
Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Ramos, Mendes; Vitinha, Verratti, Ruiz; Messi; Mbappe, Neymar
Reims possible starting lineup:
Diouf; Foket, Agbadou, Abdelhamid, Busi; Munetsi, Matusiwa; Ito, Zeneli, Flips; Balogun
Predictions:
While Reims manager William Still has done a wonderful job and is still to lose his first competitive game as a head coach, he may be in for bitter disappointment in the French capital of Paris. The Parc des Princes has been a fortress for PSG and no matter how capable a coach you are, instructing your defence to keep all three of Messi, Neymar, and Mbappe quiet for 90 minutes is an uphill battle. As a result, PSG are the favourites to pick up another win here and maintain their lead at the summit of Ligue 1.
PSG vs SDR Fantasy XI No. 1
PSG vs SDR Fantasy XI No. 2
