PSG vs. Metz: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream and TV Info

Paris Saint-Germain blew the cobwebs off their shooting boots following their elimination from the Champions League by Barcelona, destroying Lille with an impressive six-goal victory.

The Parisians' cat and mouse game with Olympique Lyonnais continues as the Rhone club beat Stade de Reims 4-2 on Sunday. Tuesday’s game with FC Metz is PSG’s game in hand; victory will confirm their three-point gap in first place.

Date: Tuesday, 28 April

Time: 8 p.m. GMT (9 p.m. CET)/4 p.m. ET

Venue: Parc des Princes, Paris

TV Info: beIN Sports CONNECT (U.S.), ESPN UK (U.K.)

Live Stream: beIN Sports CONNECT

Zlatan Ibrahimovic misses the third of his three-game ban on Tuesday, but that will be no consolation for Metz after Saturday’s performance. PSG were superb in the final third, but it is unlikely Albert Cartier’s side will push as far forward as Lille did, concentrating on making themselves hard to beat.

Two injuries on Saturday will affect Blanc’s team selection, with Salvatore Sirigu and Serge Aurier coming off injury. The Ivorian right-back set up the opening goal against Lille, and it seems he can’t catch a break this season.

"

PSG's Salvatore Sirigu & Serge Aurier expected to miss out vs. Metz tomorrow after injuries picked up in Lille win. #PSGFCM

— Jonathan Johnson (@Jon_LeGossip) April 27, 2015"

Gregory van der Wiel will return in his position, although that was a likely move regardless. Nicolas Douchez will take his place between the posts, and there is the possibility of Thiago Silva coming back into the defence after he missed the Lille game.

Metz picked up a valuable point on Saturday away at Bordeaux; Les Grenats are still eight points from safety, so anything they can gain from Tuesday would be a massive boost to their slim chances of survival.

Form

Paris Saint-Germain

W PSG 6-1 Lille – Ligue 1

L Barcelona 2-0 PSG – Champions League

W Nice 1-3 PSG – Ligue 1

L PSG 1-3 Barcelona – Champions League

W Bastia 0-4 PSG – Coupe de la Ligue

FC Metz

D Bordeaux 1-1 Metz - Ligue 1

W Metz 3-1 Lens - Ligue 1

W Metz 3-2 Toulouse - Ligue 1

D Caen 0-0 Metz - Ligue 1

L Metz 2-3 Saint-Etienne - Ligue 1

Predicted Formations

PSG (4-3-1-2): Nicolas Douchez; Gregory van der Wiel, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva, Lucas Digne; Thiago Motta, Marco Verratti, Javier Pastore; Ezequiel Lavezzi; Lucas Moura, Edinson Cavani

FC Metz (4-4-2): Anthony Mfa; Romain Metanire, Guido Milan, Jose Luis Palomino, Kevin Lejeune; Bouna Sarr, Ferjani Sassi, Ahmed Kashi, Yeni Ngbakoto; Florent Malouda, Modibo Maiga

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Players to Watch

After joining in January from CS Safx in Tunisia, midfielder Sassi has enjoyed an interesting start to his Ligue 1 career.

The 23-year-old scored his first goal for the club on Saturday, helping Metz take the lead against Bordeaux, but it came on the back of one of the worst misses of the season last week against Lens.

Luckily his side still won the game, and he wasn’t made to rue the chance. It is unlikely he will get many chances to double his tally against PSG on Tuesday, but the confidence that his performance will give will help him take on the biggest test of his career.

The Tunisian international has looked tall and strong, but he will need to show more of his defensive qualities to battle against the likes of Pastore and Verratti.

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Key Battle

On loan from West Ham United, striker Modibo Maiga has a habit of scoring against PSG in his time in Ligue 1. He scored a double for Metz when the two met earlier in the season, bringing his club level before the Parisians scored a late winner.

Maiga has made a career by impressing in the air, scoring a number of headers when you don’t think he has a chance. He always used to pop up with a few goals against PSG in his time with Sochaux, too.

On Tuesday, he will be up against young centre-back Marquinhos, and it will be an interesting battle if Metz can get some service into the box.

Odds (via Oddschecker)

PSG: 2-11

Draw: 8-1

Metz: 20-1