Following yet another setback in their quest for further Ligue 1 glory, Paris Saint-Germain will aim to get off to a better start in February when they travel to the Stade de la Mosson for a meeting with Montpellier HSC on Wednesday.
The reigning champions were held to a 1-1 draw by Reims at the weekend, while their hosts ran out 2-0 victors against Auxerre.
Match preview
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With the suspended pair of Elye Wahi and Wahbi Khazri watching on from the naughty step, ex-Arsenal product Stephy Mavididi picked an ideal time to finally score his first and second goals of the Ligue 1 season during a worthwhile trip to Auxerre.
Mavididi cut inside before firing a rocket into the roof of the net just after the hour mark, and the former England youth international doubled his tally with a delicate chip in the 80th minute before the impenetrable Benjamin Lecomte kept out a stoppage-time penalty from Birama Toure.
Having ended a miserable four-game losing run in all tournaments stretching back to December, Romain Pitau's side occupy 14th place in the table and hold a healthy five-point buffer over the four sides in the relegation zone, but they are far from assured of their place in the top division.
An early Coupe de France exit to Pau has at least allowed La Paillade to focus solely on their Ligue 1 fortunes, but as one of only four teams to have shipped over 40 goals in the division so far - the others being Troyes, Auxerre and Angers - failure to tighten up at the back will spell danger for Pitau's men.
Montpellier have also taken just one point from their last five home games during a woeful period at the Stade de la Mosson - keeping just one clean sheet on familiar territory all season against Ajaccio - but there is arguably no better time to face a wounded PSG.
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While few expected Reims' stellar unbeaten run under William Still to continue at the home of the holders, the 30-year-old ripped up the script to come away from the Parc des Princes with a draw after Les Parisiens were reduced to 10 men.
Neymar's dancing feet allowed the Brazilian to break the deadlock with 51 minutes played, but after midfield lynchpin Marco Verratti saw red just before the hour mark, Reims dug deep and found a leveller six minutes into second-half injury time through Arsenal loanee Folarin Balogun.
Having dropped points in three of their last four Ligue 1 affairs, PSG are in wholly unfamiliar territory at the top of the Ligue 1 standings, but Christophe Galtier's side still hold a three-point advantage over Lens after the second-placed Sang et Or could also only draw 1-1 against Troyes.
Putting seven past Pays de Cassel in the Coupe de France would have ostensibly been ideal preparation for the return of Ligue 1, but PSG undoubtedly have a title fight on their hands this season, and they are now at risk of suffering three successive league defeats away from home for the first time since March.
However, PSG will certainly take encouragement from their 5-2 thumping of Montpellier back in August, which represented their eighth successive win over La Paillade in all tournaments, and the champions have scored at least twice in each of their last 11 meetings with the underdog hosts.
Team News
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Having both seen red in a 3-0 defeat to Nantes on January 15, Montpellier strikers Wahi and Khazri will serve the second of their two-game suspensions on Wednesday, leaving Valere Germain to spearhead the charge with support from a resurgent Mavididi.
La Paillade have no fresh concerns to report from their win over Auxerre, and midfielder Jordan Ferri should return after missing that contest with a bout of flu, but it remains to be seen if Pedro Mendes can recover from a hamstring issue in time for Wednesday.
Pitau should not disrupt a winning formula either way, meaning that former PSG centre-back Mamadou Sakho will likely have to be content with a place on the bench against his old club.
As for PSG, Verratti will serve his suspension this week after seeing red in the draw with Reims, so Galtier may consider introducing Renato Sanches or Danilo Pereira as part of a midfield reshuffle.
Nordi Mukiele and Presnel Kimpembe remain absent through injury, and the pair have been joined on the sidelines by Neymar, who misses out due to muscular fatigue. Nuno Mendes is back after a muscle problem of his own though.
Backup goalkeeper Keylor Navas has been named in the squad after a deadline-day move to Nottingham Forest fell through, but Gianluigi Donnarumma's place in goal has not been under threat at all this season.
Montpellier HSC possible starting lineup:
Lecomte; Tchato, Jullien, Esteve, Maouassa; Ferri, Chotard; Nordin, Savanier, Mavididi; Germain
Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:
Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Ramos, Bernat; Ruiz, Pereira, Sanches; Messi; Mbappe, Ekitike
We say: Montpellier HSC 1-2 Paris Saint-Germain
Fixtures with Montpellier have often been a walk in the park for PSG, but Galtier's side are enduring the true definition of a sticky patch, and the fervent Paillade faithful will be in a buoyant mood after their team's successful weekend exploits.
A rejuvenated Mavididi also spells danger for a Verratti and Neymar-less PSG, but Galtier will be demanding an immediate response from his players and should get one against a leaky Montpellier side, although it may not be pretty.
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Ben Knapton
