Seeking to maintain their 100% start to the new Ligue 1 season, Paris Saint-Germain prepare to welcome Peter Bosz's improving Lyon outfit to the Parc des Princes for Sunday evening's pick of the fixtures.
Les Parisiens enter this game after being held to a 1-1 draw against Club Brugge in the Champions League, while Lyon claimed a 2-0 win at Rangers in the Europa League.
Match preview
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At long, long last, fans were treated to the triumvirate of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar all lining up from the first whistle for PSG against Club Brugge in their Champions League opener, but such a formidable frontline was nullified by the inspired Belgian outfit in midweek.
Mauricio Pochettino's side did strike first in the 15th minute through Ander Herrera - a man thoroughly enjoying his football at the moment - but Brugge skipper Hans Vanaken saw his deflected effort rescue a point for his side as PSG's momentum took an early hit.
Regarded as one of the favourites for the European crown this term, PSG's opening-day draw with Brugge could lead to their Champions League-winning credentials being called into question again, but they have made the perfect start to the 2021-22 Ligue 1 season as they seek to dethrone Lille at the first time of asking.
Herrera was once again on target with a brace in last weekend's 4-0 victory over Clermont - where Mbappe and Idrissa Gueye also made the net ripple - with that victory representing PSG's fifth from five league games as they sit comfortably at the top of the standings.
A total of 16 goals scored - at an average of over three per game - unsurprisingly represents the best return in the league so far for PSG, who have also won their last five Ligue 1 home games on the spin - banking four goals in each of their last three at the Parc des Princes.
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Despite getting off to a slow start in the Gones dugout, Bosz now appears to be finding his stride at Lyon, who marched to their third successive win in all competitions on Thursday with a 2-0 Europa League win over Rangers at Ibrox.
Karl Toko Ekambi struck the game's first goal after 23 minutes in some style before James Tavernier turned into his own net, and Lyon have already risen to top spot in Group A as they seek a simple path into the knockout rounds.
Bosz's side initially struggled to stamp their authority on Ligue 1 but now head to the Parc des Princes on the back of successive wins over Nantes and Strasbourg, with Moussa Dembele, Jason Denayer and Lucas Paqueta all netting against the latter in a 3-1 success.
Lyon's upturn in fortunes has seen them rise to seventh in the fledgling standings - seven points behind perfect PSG - and incredibly, Les Gones travel to the capital having posted just two defeats away from home since the start of last season.
A goal from Tino Kadewere propelled Les Gones to a 1-0 victory over PSG in this fixture last season before Pochettino's side marched to a 4-2 win in March, and Lyon's narrow triumph at the Parc des Princes in December 2020 represents their only win from their last 13 away games against PSG.
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Team News
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After being forced to withdraw from the France squad earlier this month, Mbappe was taken off injured against Brugge just after half time with an ankle issue, but it is currently unclear how long the attacker may be sidelined for.
However, Angel Di Maria will be available after missing out in midweek through suspension, so the Argentine could feature on the right-hand side as Messi leads the line this weekend, while Marco Verratti, Sergio Ramos, Colin Dagba, Layvin Kurzawa and Juan Bernat remain out.
Gueye is also back from a ban and is expected to link up with Herrera in midfield once more, while Keylor Navas and Gianluigi Donnarumma remain locked in an intense battle for the gloves.
Meanwhile, Lyon defender Damien Da Silva is back from his own domestic suspension and could displace Jerome Boateng - who did not cover himself in glory against Rangers - but Dembele and Kadewere are both carrying injuries.
With Xherdan Shaqiri hoping to earn a recall, Toko Ekambi could move into a central role - in turn demoting Islam Slimani down to the bench - with Lucas Paqueta and Houssem Aouar featuring behind the Cameroonian forward.
Thiago Mendes and Leo Dubois also remain unavailable for the visitors, with the latter's absence seeing 18-year-old Malo Gusto handed the unenviable task of trying to keep Neymar quiet.
Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:
Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Kimpembe, Diallo; Herrera, Pereira, Gueye; Di Maria, Messi, Neymar
Lyon possible starting lineup:
Lopes; Gusto, Denayer, Da Silva, Emerson; Caqueret, Guimaraes; Shaqiri, Paqueta, Aouar; Toko Ekambi
We say: Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 Lyon
PSG's treatment room is still well-occupied, and their confidence would have taken quite the hit against Brugge in midweek, but they have simply swept aside the competition in Ligue 1 so far.
The visiting Gones have also had less time to recover from their European venture and are dealing with their own raft of absentees, so we expect PSG to get back on track by a narrow margin on their own turf.
Top tip
Ben Knapton
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Paris Saint-Germain win with a probability of 55.43%. A win for Lyon had a probability of 22.5% and a draw had a probability of 22.1%.
The most likely scoreline for a Paris Saint-Germain win was 2-1 with a probability of 9.84%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (8.84%) and 2-0 (8.52%). The likeliest Lyon win was 1-2 (5.89%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (10.19%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with a 9.8% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 2-1 win for Paris Saint-Germain in this match.
