Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain head to Nice on Friday night as the international break ends and club football returns around France.
Paris Saint-Germain go into the weekend with 21 points from 27 possible. Thomas Tuchel’s team has recorded back to back victories over Bordeaux and Angers. Both matches saw Paris Saint-Germain win to nil.
Despite Paris Saint-Germain's great start to the season, they are only two points ahead of second-placed Nantes. A win could see Paris Saint-Germain move further clear of Nantes as the chasers go to Metz for a tricky match on Saturday.
Nice are winless in their last three matches. Manager Patrick Vieira’s team sits eighth in Ligue 1 with 13 points from 27 possible. Nice have struggled to score goals this term with just 12 scored and 13 conceded.
Vieira’s team was successful last term due to its defence; however, NIce have not kept teams at bay this term like they did last. Nice are coming off of losses to Monaco and Nantes and a draw against Lille.
Injuries have been an issue at the Parc des Prince this season. Now, Tuchel must deal with a fresh injury to Neymar who has been ruled out for the next four weeks. Neymar limped off the pitch in Brazil’s international match against Nigeria.
Although the thigh injury was said to not be serious initially, it is a problem that will see the oft-injured forward miss the next four weeks. Neymar’s career is becoming farcical with the number of injuries that are keeping him on the sidelines.
Kylian Mbappe missed France’s international matches due to a hamstring injury. The forward was sent home from international duty to heal. Mbappe has had a difficult start to the season dealing with constant injuries. He is likely to miss out on Friday night.
Paris Saint-Germain are undefeated in eight of the last 10 matches against Nice. The reigning French champions have dropped points just twice in 10 games against the south coast team.
Nice’s last win against the Parisians came in April 2017 when they won 3-1 at home. Last May, Nice secured a 1-1 draw against Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Prince.
With injuries to Mbappe and Neymar, Paris Saint-Germain may struggle in front of goal on Friday night. Last season’s low-scoring game at the Parc des Prince should be an indicator of the game we will get. Expect a Paris Saint-Germain win and under 2.5 goals as the Parisians pick up a win to nil.