It’s the perennial winners against the reigning champions in Ligue 1 on Friday night, as Paris Saint-Germain host Lille OSC at the Parc des Princes.
Lille have made a poor start to their title-defending campaign, winning just four of their opening 11 games this term.
🆕📸 Training today at the Ooredoo! #PSGLOSC pic.twitter.com/ZTW7tO7jWT— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) October 26, 2021
🆕📸 Training today at the Ooredoo! #PSGLOSC pic.twitter.com/ZTW7tO7jWT
As a result, they find themselves tenth in the table – 13 points behind first-place PSG, who have lost only one of their first 11 matches.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side have won nine of their 11 Ligue 1 outings this season, although they have won just one of their previous three.
After losing to Rennes before the international break, the Parisians beat Angers before playing out a goalless draw with Marseille on Sunday.
Still, PSG remain the top scorers in the French top-flight, having netted 24 goals this season (2.2 goals per game).
When you look at the bigger picture, Pochettino’s men have lost only three of their last 23 Ligue 1 encounters.
On top of that, they have won each of their previous eight league games at the Parc des Princes – underlining their strength on home soil.
After clinching the Ligue 1 title last season, big things were expected of Lille this term. Unfortunately, they have failed to live up to expectations.
The reigning champions have only managed to win four of their first 11 games this season, recording three draws and four losses in the process.
Lille head into Friday’s clash on a three-game winless streak in all competitions, with a Champions League draw coming either side of two negative Ligue 1 results.
Although Lille have lost just seven of their previous 49 Ligue 1 encounters, they have struggled to hit the ground running this term.
Head-to-head: Lille avoided defeat against PSG last season, securing a goalless draw at home before winning 1-0 at the Parc des Princes.
That said, PSG have lost just three of the past 22 meetings between the teams – picking up 12 wins along the way.
Team news: PSG will be without injured trio Sergio Ramos, Leandro Paredes and Sergio Rico on Friday. Achraf Hakimi is suspended following his red card against Marseille.
Lille have just the one injury absentee at the moment, with 21-year-old centre-back Sven Botman out with a groin problem.
Although Lille have enjoyed success against PSG in recent times, the Parisians are likely to flex their muscles on Friday.
Forebet predicts that PSG will secure a clean-sheet victory over off-form Lille, scoring over 1.5 goals in the process.