PSG vs. Monaco: Key Issues That Will Shape Ligue 1 Game

Paris Saint-Germain and AS Monaco will meet at the Parc des Princes in Ligue 1 on Sunday, having both been in midweek UEFA Champions League action. The French champions secured a stunning 3-2 win over Spanish giants Barcelona, while last season’s runners-up added to their opening-day win over Bayer Leverkusen with a point away to Russians FC Zenit Saint Petersburg.

Both sides come into the game on the back of good continental results then, but both are in need of improvement domestically. PSG are fourth in le Championnat at present, five points behind Marcelo Bielsa’s Olympique de Marseille, but Monaco are 12th and four points behind Laurent Blanc’s men.

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12 - Paris SG & Monaco have picked up 24 points after 8 matchdays, 12 points fewer compared to the same stage last season. Slow.

— OptaJean (@OptaJean) September 29, 2014"

Les Monegasques’ coach Leonardo Jardim is not yet under pressure, but could find himself in the firing line soon if results do not improve at the Stade Louis II. Les Parisiens’ counterpart Blanc has put an end to any recent uncertainty over his role as PSG tactician with that superb 3-2 win over Barcelona.

Here are some key issues that will shape PSG vs. Monaco on Sunday.

Champions League Hangover

Christophe Ena/Associated Press

Ligue 1 sides often struggle to maintain their high level of performance going from Champions League action back to le Championnat and there is a chance that a continental hangover will affect both sides this weekend. Monaco did not raise their game exponentially in Russia, unlike PSG against Barca, but the extensive travelling might have drained the players.

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1 - PSG are the only French team to have beaten Barcelona more than once in European competition (2). Exception.

— OptaJean (@OptaJean) September 30, 2014"

Blanc’s men have struggled before and after European games so far this season, drawing either side of their trip to Amsterdam to face AFC Ajax. If PSG can avoid a flat performance in the wake of their Barcelona exploits, then the hosts should be able to see off their struggling visitors from the principality.

Injured Berbatov Missing for Monaco?

Lionel Cironneau/Associated Press

Monaco’s star man Dimitar Berbatov was substituted after 52 minutes in Russia and came off the Petrovsky Stadium pitch looking in pain. The languid attacker’s involvement in the French capital on Sunday is now in doubt and the game—not to mention les Monegasques themselves—will be poorer for it.

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1 - Dimitar Berbatov has scored just 1 goal in his last 25 Champions League appearances. Drought.

— OptaJean (@OptaJean) October 1, 2014"

Without the Bulgarian, scorer of two goals so far this season, ASM’s attack will be weakened. Even with him in the side, they have only scored seven goals in eight matches so far this season. Should the Monaco No. 10 miss out at the Parc des Princes, Jardim’s scoring options are significantly decreased.

Ibrahimovic and Silva Boosts for PSG?

Michel Euler/Associated Press

Both Zlatan Ibrahimovic and captain Thiago Silva were missing through injury for PSG’s 3-2 win over Barcelona in the Champions League. It is unknown, for the moment, whether or not either will be fit enough to return on Sunday against Monaco. Should the Swede be back in contention, he will be keen to make up for lost time after suffering from his second injury problem this season.

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50% - PSG have won 70% of their games with Ibrahimovic since 2012/13 (all comps.), 50% without. Missing. pic.twitter.com/5hCTOKrVXU

— OptaJean (@OptaJean) September 29, 2014"

Marquinhos is set to miss out after picking up a thigh problem in the win over Barcelona, meaning Zoumana Camara will likely step in unless Silva is ready to return. With both the Brazilian and Ibrahimovic out though, PSG are devoid of either of their first-choice leaders. Assuming that the Parisien No. 10 does not make it, it offers Edinson Cavani his latest chance to impress in the 32-year-old’s absence.

Can Monaco Sort Their Defence Out?

Dmitry Lovetsky/Associated Press

The result of this weekend’s meeting between PSG and Monaco may well boil down to the two side’s defences. Jardim’s struggling Monegasques have already conceded 10, scoring just seven, after eight matches. PSG have shipped just five and scored 14—twice as many—in the same amount of games.

Monaco have kept three clean sheets in the league, while PSG have kept four, with two coming in their three home games. Jardim’s ability to set his side up in a way so that they do not concede a goal at the Parc des Princes will be crucial to his team’s chances of success.