Match Preview: Lille Visit Could Provide Emery Opportunity to Experiment

With Paris Saint-Germain now sitting in second place, just above OGC Nice on goal difference, pressure is on to maintain momentum and secure three points as they welcome Lille OSC to the Parc des Princes on Tuesday. A win, combined with an AS Monaco loss, would see Les Parisiens draw level on points with the league leaders.

Lille currently sit in 12th place but a new owner, Gerard Lopez of Formula One fame, has brought financial muscle to Les Dogues. The influx of cash led to some interesting acquisitions during the January transfer window but the results thus far have been a bit precarious. Patrick Collot’s squad are coming off a loss to last place FC Lorient and have only recorded one win (away at Olympique Lyonnais) in their last five Ligue 1 matches.

PSG have defeated Lille both times the clubs have met this season and Unai Emery’s men should be confident about their chances given their recent form. The Basque manager mentioned in the pre-match press conference that his team isn’t focused on their UEFA Champions League tie against Barcelona just yet and remain focused on their domestic duties first. However, you have to imagine the Barcelona match will play a role in Emery’s starting lineup with fatigue and match fitness coming into play.

Paris will be without Javier Pastore, Marco Verratti, Thomas Meunier, Grzegorz Krychowiak, and Kevin Trapp as they continue their recovery from injury. Angel Di Maria will be available and has been included in the squad list.

Starting XI Prediction

4-2-3-1: Areola; Aurier, Silva, Kimpembe, Kurzawa; Motta, Rabiot; Guedes, Ben Arfa, Draxler; Cavani.

There is a good chance that Emery’s 4-2-3-1 system could be deployed against Lille. After an impressive cameo with Gonçalo Guedes, Hatem Ben Arfa, and Julian Draxler playing well behind Edinson Cavani against Dijon FCO, there’s a good chance they all could feature right from the start.

Score Prediction

PSG 3-0 Lille

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Tags Adrien Rabiot Alphonse Areola Edinson Cavani Gonçalo Guedes Grzegorz Krychowiak Hatem Ben Arfa Javier Pastore Julian Draxler Kevin Trapp Layvin Kurzawa Ligue 1 Lille OSC Marco Verratti Presnel Kimpembe Serge Aurier Thiago Motta Thiago Silva Thomas Meunier Unai Emery
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