Montpellier vs. PSG: Team News, Predicted Line-Ups, Live Stream and TV Info
French champions Paris Saint-Germain revisit the scene of last year’s Ligue 1 title success when they take on Montpellier HSC at Stade de la Mosson on Friday.
Laurent Blanc’s men won 2-1 there back in May on the penultimate day of last season to make sure of a third straight crown in Le Championnat.
This term, it is a top-against-bottom encounter after PSG won their two opening games and Montpellier lost theirs.
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Date: Friday, August 21
Time: 7:30 p.m. BST (8:30 p.m. CEST)/2:30 p.m. EDT
Venue: Stade de la Mosson, Montpellier
TV Info: beIN Sports 1 (France), BT Sport/ESPN (UK, starts 8:30 p.m. one hour after kick-off), beIN Sports (USA at 2:30 p.m. EDT)
Live Stream: beIN Sports Connect
Preamble:
For the first time since the 2005-06 season, PSG have won their two opening Ligue 1 fixtures after beating Lille OSC away with 10 men and easing past top-flight debutants Gazelec Ajaccio.
A decade ago, Les Parisiens won their three opening games and they have a chance to equal that here in what is already a record best start to the season in the Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) era.
Blanc’s men have shown no signs of complacency so far, although they did take their foot off the gas very early against a limited Gazelec side, suggesting that the capital club have no intention of allowing themselves to be dragged into a season-long title race.
Instead, the champions seem keen to put as much space between themselves and the chasing pack as possible and in the shortest period of time. This is likely related to their ambition of going further than the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals this term.
If they are to get the three points at Stade de la Mosson on Friday, then they will have to do it without Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Angel Di Maria, Marco Verratti, Gregory van der Wiel and Lucas Digne who are all out, per PSG.fr (in French).
Montpellier, on the other hand, have made a disappointing start to the season and they are yet to score their first goal.
The loss of Abdelhamid El Kaoutari in defence this summer has made the back line weaker, although Ryad Boudebouz’s addition should give the team some extra creativity going forward over the course of the term.
Despite a slow start, Rolland Courbis’ men should not get drawn into a relegation battle this season. However, last campaign’s seventh-place finish will be difficult to replicate.
Their quest for a first win of the season will not be helped by the absence of regular starting goalkeeper Geoffrey Jourdren, who misses out injured, per PSG.fr (in French).
Form Lines (all competitions):
Montpellier
L 0-2 vs. Angers SCO (Ligue 1)
L 1-0 vs. Stade Rennais (Ligue 1)
PSG
W 2-0 vs. Olympique Lyonnais (Trophee des Champions)
W 0-1 vs. Lille (Ligue 1)
W 2-0 vs. Gazelec Ajaccio (Ligue 1)
Predicted Formations
"Montpellier-Paris : Les compos probables (LeParisien et L'Équipe) #MHSCPSG #PSG pic.twitter.com/22LOsVNEyO
— Paris No Limit™ (@ParisNoLimit) August 21, 2015"
Montpellier (4-2-3-1): Ligali—Deplagne/Roussillon, Hilton (c), Bensebaini, Congre—Dabo, Martin—Lasne/Berigaud, Boudebouz, Mounier—Bakar.
PSG (4-3-1-2): Trapp—Aurier, Silva (c), Luiz, Maxwell—Motta, Rabiot, Matuidi—Pastore—Lucas Moura, Cavani.
Player to Watch Per Side
Although he was expected to leave this summer, Anthony Mounier is still at the Stade de la Mosson. In the absence of the injured Morgan Sanson, the 27-year-old old is arguably La Paillade’s most important player.
The former Lyon and OGC Nice man scored the hosts’ consolation goal in PSG’s 2-1 win in Languedoc-Roussillon last season and once again he will be the biggest threat posed by Courbis’ men.
If Boudebouz decides to turn up and put in the sort of performance Ligue 1 has only seen from him in brief flashes, then the Algeria international will also be a concern for the champions. However, Mounier is the most likely player to do Les Parisiens’ tight back line some damage.
Benjamin Stambouli spent a decade at Montpellier, coming through the youth academy and ultimately going on to play a starting role for the team. The highlight of his time with La Paillade was helping them to secure a memorable Ligue 1 title back in 2012.
The Frenchman was handed his home debut by Blanc last Sunday when brought on as a late substitute in the win over Gazelec. The PSG fans booed and jeered him because of his associations with fierce rivals Marseille, but the Stade de la Mosson crowd will likely give him a deserved warm reception on Friday.
If played from the start, Stambouli will add plenty of tenacity to the capital outfit’s midfield.
Key Battle
It has been a difficult start to the season for new Montpellier signing Ramy Bensebaini and the 20-year-old Algerian is still finding his feet in Ligue 1.
PSG’s Edinson Cavani has gone two games without a goal already this season and endured a frustrating evening against Gazelec last Sunday.
The Uruguayan needs to improve and the inclusion of Javier Pastore from the start by Blanc would give the champions greater creativity and El Matador would enjoy more chances to score.
It will be up to Bensebaini and veteran captain Vitorino Hilton to stop Cavani. Based on their displays so far, that pairing needs some work before it can be considered on a par with the Brazilian’s partnership with El Kaoutari.
PSG’s South American marksman will fancy his chances of breaking his duck at Stade de la Mosson.
Odds (Oddsshark)
Montpellier: +445
PSG: -161
Draw: +285
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