Paris Saint-Germain Prepare for Second Ligue 1 Showdown in as Many Weeks

The 3-0 thrashing of Montpellier at the Stade Mosson a weekend ago, which was so convincing and lacked a shred of the prosaic lull that sometimes plagues le football francais, revealed Paris Saint-Germain as a true contender on the Ligue 1 stage.

After a summer of near-ceaseless spending and a month's worth of posturing as would-be contenders for the 2011-2012 league crown, PSG finally cemented themselves as a heavyweight with a victory over the then-leaders of Ligue 1.

The 2-0 defeat away at the raucous confines of Basque country, where Athletic Bilbao cast aside its poor domestic form and dispatched PSG with relative ease in a Europa League group stage match, served as a dousing of cold water after the weekend's endorphin binge.

Talisman Javier Pastore's play-making menace, so prevalent against Montpellier, was brilliantly muted by the Bilbao midfield, which was excellent in its dogged pursuit of the 22 year-old Argentine, forcing him into uncharacteristic technical mistakes.

There is little time for the pricey (€42 million) summer signings to pout, however, as PSG must prepare to receive Olympique Lyonnais at the Parc des Princes this Sunday. The game will be featured as the always eagerly-awaited late night (9 p.m. CET) Ligue 1 match, the final one on the weekend calendar.

Perhaps PSG's wake-up call in Bilbao, the club's first setback since their opening-day 1-0 embarrassment at home to FC Lorient, will prove to be in the side's best interests, as Lyon will certainly be at their best in the callous confines of the Parc.

Lyon are currently deadlocked with the Parisiens at the top of the Ligue 1 table with 17 points after eight league matches. Lyon have responded brilliantly after their shocking 1-0 defeat away to Caen on September 21, rebounding with wins against Bordeaux (3-1) and Dinamo Zagreb (2-0)—the latter being the midweek Champions League group stage fixture.

Michel Bastos — the Brazilian who seems forever destined to be one of those players perpetually linked with a new transfer destination each day by the newest Internet "expert" site looking to make a name for itself in the way of (yellow journalistic-inspired) hits — has combined brilliantly with front man Bafetimi Gomis, who has six goals so far in the infant season.

Coupled with the excellent dynamic of Maxime Gonalons and Kim Kallstrom in the central midfield wheelhouse, new coach Remi Garde's new 4-4-2 system has been instituted quite seamlessly after predecessor Claude Puel's longstanding usage of a 4-3-3.

No one doubts the lanky Gomis's talent (YouTube his excellent full international debut for France against Equador in the pre-friendly fixtures for Euro 2008). However, since arriving in Lyon in the summer of 2009 as one of the new signings intended to reestablish Les Gones as the preeminent force in French football (they'd won the Ligue 1 crown each year from 2002-2008), Gomis has frequently cut a frustrated figure since his switch from Lyon's hated rivals Saint-Etienne.

Overshadowed by Lisandro's brilliant form in 2009-10, when it often seemed the Argentine and keeper Hugo Lloris were the only two Lyon players with any semblance of dedication, Gomis has eviscerated those painful memories and proceeded to fly where he'd once floundered.

The form that once caused Domenech to pencil the languid Gomis into his Euro 2008 roster has resurfaced. He has looked superb in his performances thus far this season, using his technique and expert finishing to rise to the top of the Ligue 1 scoring leaderboard, on which he is currently tied with Auxerre midfielder Alain Traore.

Lyon will be without Lisandro and erstwhile superstar Yoann Gourcuff for the Sunday fixture, but there is no doubt that the southern-based side will be looking to hit the Parisiens while they're down.

From a Parisien standpoint, the nouveau-riche men of Ligue 1 could send a call to their rivals with another victory. Two wins over league leaders in eight days' time would be just the kind of kick that could send PSG barreling toward a title.