PSG vs. Saint-Etienne: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream and TV Info
Paris Saint-Germain host AS Saint-Etienne at Parc des Princes on Sunday, looking to maintain or even stretch their lead at the top of Ligue 1.
Both teams were on continental duty in midweek, and PSG will be aiming to atone for their disappointing display in the 0-0 draw with Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.
Les Verts, on the other hand, will be on a high after beating last season’s UEFA Europa League runners-up, Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, 1-0 in Ukraine on Thursday.
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Date: Sunday, October 25
Time: 8 p.m. GMT / 9 p.m. CET / 4 p.m. ET
Venue: Parc des Princes, Paris
TV Info: Canal+ (France—9 p.m. CET), BT Sport Europe (UK—shown on delay at 9 p.m. GMT), beIN Sports (U.S.—shown on delay at 8:55 p.m. ET)
Live Stream: beIN Sports Connect
Preamble
After the disappointment of their uninspiring 0-0 draw at home to Real Madrid on Wednesday, PSG turn their attention to Saint-Etienne on Sunday.
Les Verts are one of the French champions’ preferred opponents in Ligue 1 and have only failed to win once in their last five meetings with Christophe Galtier’s men at Parc des Princes.
Despite their draw with Real, Les Parisiens are in good form otherwise and have five wins from their last six games across all competitions—including four consecutive victories in Le Championnat.
ASSE are in mixed form and have suffered three defeats in their last five matches, including back-to-back Ligue 1 losses, but the joint-record 10-time French champions have won their last two games across all competitions.
Laurent Blanc’s men have the squad depth to deal with such an important league clash just days after a mammoth Champions League encounter, while Saint-Etienne’s shallower group might have problems following their excellent win away at Dnipro in the Europa League.
After surprise second-placed side Angers SCO’s draw with Guingamp on Saturday, a win for PSG could move the capital club seven points clear at the summit.
A victory for ASSE could move them back into joint-second and cut the gap on Blanc’s side to just four points.
Like against Real, the hosts will be at full strength, with only David Luiz missing from the squad list on PSG.fr. As for Saint-Etienne, per the group named on ASSE.fr (in French), Galtier is boosted by the return of midfielder Renaud Cohade after nine long months out through injury.
Form Lines (all competitions)
PSG
W 1-4 vs. FC Nantes (Ligue 1)
W 0-3 vs. Shakhtar Donetsk (Champions League)
W 2-1 vs. Olympique de Marseille (Ligue 1)
W 0-2 vs. SC Bastia (Ligue 1)
D 0-0 vs. Real (Champions League)
Saint-Etienne
L 1-4 vs. OGC Nice (Ligue 1)
L 3-2 vs. SS Lazio (Europa League)
L 1-0 vs. SM Caen (Ligue 1)
W 2-0 vs. Gazelec Ajaccio (Ligue 1)
W 0-1 vs. Dnipro (Europa League)
Predicted Teams
PSG (4-3-3): Trapp; Aurier/Van der Wiel, Marquinhos, Silva (c), Kurzawa; Motta/Stambouli, Verratti/Rabiot, Matuidi/Rabiot; Di Maria, Ibrahimovic, Pastore.
Saint-Etienne (4-2-3-1): Ruffier; Clerc, Bayal Sall, Perrin (c), Assou-Ekotto/Polomat; Lemoine, Diomande; Hamouma, Eysseric, Bahebeck/Monnet-Paquet/Roux; Beric.
Players to Watch
Javier Pastore was confined to the substitutes' bench until the 66th minute against Real on Wednesday, and the uninspiring goalless draw underlined the need for greater creativity in the PSG starting XI.
Regardless of whether Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani and Angel Di Maria play on Sunday against Saint-Etienne, El Flaco must be part of the team from kick-off.
Although the Argentina international and the Swede are not the most complementary of players, considering that Pastore thrives in the No. 10 role and Ibrahimovic likes to drop deep into that area to pick up the ball, the two can still function on the same pitch.
The PSG No. 27’s relationship with Cavani is a bit more harmonious, as it pairs a creator with a finisher. Pastore and Di Maria have a good understanding from their time together with La Albiceleste.
Whether he is deployed in midfield at the expense of Thiago Motta, Marco Verratti or Blaise Matuidi for this match or as part of the front three, Blanc needs Pastore’s creativity from the off.
As for Saint-Etienne, Romain Hamouma is the player PSG captain Thiago Silva and his defensive team-mates will have to be most wary of.
The Frenchman scored the crucial goal in the 1-0 win away at Dnipro, and assuming he is fit enough to play two games in quick succession, he will also be key against Les Parisiens.
Hamouma has two goals and one assist so far this season and, along with Valentin Eysseric, will be the most likely to conjure up chances at Parc des Princes.
If he is not creating them, he regularly finds himself taking them and is just as much of a goal threat as Robert Beric and only trails three-goal captain Loic Perrin—a central defender—as the team's top scorer in the league by one.
Key Battle
Despite their inability to trouble a well-organised Real Madrid back line on Wednesday, the key battle on Sunday will be between PSG’s attack and Saint-Etienne’s defence.
Whether it is Ibrahimovic or Cavani tasked with posing the main central threat to Les Verts’ rearguard at Parc des Princes, their ability to get the better of Perrin and Moustapha Bayal Sall—or even Florentin Pogba—will go a long way toward deciding the game.
Sall and Zlatan have had some great duels in the past, but the Swede was one of many who under-performed against Real and questions are rightly being asked of his form and fitness.
That said, the 34-year-old enjoys playing against Galtier’s men and has scored trebles in each of the teams' last two meetings in Paris. The most recent was a 4-1 demolition in the Coupe de France semi-finals back in April, so he is unlikely to dropped from the starting XI for this one.
Odds (Odds Shark)
PSG: -278
Saint-Etienne: +941
Draw: +334
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