Prediction: Paris Saint-Germain vs Lille

Verdict: PSG to Win Both Halves

Best Odds: 13/16

Bookmaker: 888sport

Ligue 1 leaders showed their human nature by suffering successive blows over the past seven days and will be under great pressure to get back to winning ways against strugglers Lille on Saturday afternoon.

PSG

Back-to-back defeats to Strasbourg in Ligue 1 and at the hands of Bayern Munich in the Champions League have set the alarm bells ringing in Paris.

Having suffered their first domestic defeat of the season, the French heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain have been given another huge blow in Europe’s elite club competition with Bayern Munich getting their revenge for a 3-0 September beating in Munich. The most recent 3-1 loss to Bavarian giants saw PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi urge Ligue 1 leaders to ‘wake up’ and learn from their failure in what’s been their first big away test this season. A big-spending side cannot afford any other slip-ups to happen and will need to roll up their sleeves in effort to get back up on their feet. A forthcoming fixture against Ligue 1 strugglers Lille will be a perfect chance to do so although Unai Emery will have some selection issues ahead of this clash.

Team News

PSG’s world-record signing Neymar will miss the Lille clash due to suspension he earned after picking up a yellow card against AS Monaco.

Thiago Motta is sidelined with an injury whereas Lucas is also expected to miss the Lille test.

Lille

With only 18 points on their tally after 16 Ligue 1 rounds, Lille find themselves dangerously close to the relegation zone.

The French strugglers did well to move above the red line with successive triumphs over Lyon and Toulouse, respectively, and will be secretly hoping for a major upset in Paris that would be a huge boost for their suffering morale. Lille have been going through a difficult time this season and the last two games are seen as a positive progress under caretaker coach Fernando Da Cruz who has been deputizing for the provisionally suspended Marcelo Bielsa. The 62-year-old tactician went on an unauthorized trip to South America to see former colleague Luis Bonini which prompted a swift reaction from the Lille management. Bielsa is no stranger to controversy and it was in 2015 that he left Marseille after the first league game of the new season, while he also resigned as Lazio boss after just two days on the job. His most recent antics are most certainly not doing Ligue 1 strugglers any favours.

Team News

Midfielder Rominigue Kouame N’Guessan is suffering from a shoulder injury and will be out of contention for the Saturday’s match.

Forward Anwar El-Ghazi is recovering from a muscle injury but a trip to Paris might be coming too early for him.

Key Factors to Consider

• PSG ended their 21-match unbeaten run with back-to-back defeats
• The Parisians won last four meetings with Lille
• Emery’s side has a nine-point advantage on top of Ligue 1 standings
• Lille sit in 17^th place in the table with only 18 points after 16 matches
• Edinson Cavani tops the Ligue 1 scoring chart with 17 goals this season

Conclusion

Paris Saint-Germain need a strong reaction after suffering successive slip-ups in Ligue 1 and Champions League. Neymar’s absence should not be too big of a problem for the Parisians who have plenty of firepower upfront to deal with Lille threat.

Verdict: PSG to Win Both Halves

Best Odds: 13/16

Bookmaker: 888sport