Lorient vs. PSG: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream, TV Info
Paris Saint-Germain travel west to Brittany this weekend, getting their Ligue 1 campaign back underway with a potentially tricky tie against FC Lorient at the Stade du Moustoir.
The game will be played with the events of last Friday night in Paris still fresh in the memory of the players and the fans, but as Wednesday night's display at Wembley showed, football is a way for people to come together and try to move forward—although for anyone directly affected, it will not be easy.
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Over the past 10 years, Lorient, although they carry a better record than most at the Parc des Princes, haven't been able to fair as well when they play hosts.
Les Merlus' last victory in this fixture came way back in 2008 when a Gregory Bourillon—who would actually go on to play for Lorient—scored an own goal on the 19th minute that was enough for Christian Gourcuff's men to pick up the three points.
Much has changed with both sides since that day, and PSG go into the Saturday afternoon fixture with four straight away wins against the Breton side.
It wasn't so straightforward last season as the side from the capital had to come from behind to pick up a 2-1 victory. Two goals in the second half from Edinson Cavani and Jean-Christophe Bahebeck helped overcome Raphael Guerreiro's excellent first-half strike.
Unsurprisingly, PSG have won seven straight in the league this season, remaining unbeaten after 13 games, but Lorient themselves are on a good run at the moment.
Last week's 4-1 win over Troyes was their third in six games and means they have only lost once in their last 10 league fixtures. A superb result for Sylvain Ripoll and his team.
It is unlikely that that run will continue this weekend, but behind the goals of Benjamin Moukandjo and the midfield runs of Didier N'Dong, they have as good a chance of causing an upset as any other team in Ligue 1 at the moment.
Date: Saturday, November 21, 2015
Time: 4 p.m. BST (11 a.m. ET)
Venue: Stade du Moustoir, Lorient
TV Info: Canal Plus (France), beIN Sports (U.S.)
Live Stream: beIN Sport Connect (U.S.)
Form Lines
| FC Lorient | Paris Saint-Germain |
| Lorient 4-1 Troyes (Ligue 1) | PSG 5-0 Toulouse (Ligue 1) |
| Guingamp 2-2 Lorient (Ligue 1) | Real Madrid 1-0 PSG (Champions League) |
| Lorient 3-2 Montpellier (Coupe de la Ligue) | Rennes 0-1 PSG (Ligue 1) |
| Lorient 1-1 Rennes (Ligue 1) | PSG 4-1 Saint-Etienne (Ligue 1) |
| Marseille 1-1 Lorient (Ligue 1) | PSG 0-0 Real Madrid (Champions League) |
There are a couple of squad issues for Sylvain Ripoll to deal with this weekend. Striker Majeed Waris and central midfielder Walid Mesloub are suspended, per Lorient’s official website (in French). Benjamin Jeannot should continue in Waris' position, partnering Benjamin Moukandjo at the top of the 4-4-2.
Raphael Guerreiro should push forward to left midfield, with Vincent Le Goff coming back in at left-back.
As PSG prepare for the game against Malmo in the Champions League, there could be places in the starting XI for Layvin Kurzawa and Lucas Moura—but Blanc confirmed in Friday’s press conference that he will be without David Luiz, Marco Verratti and Javier Pastore through injury.
Predicted Formations
Lorient (4-4-2): Benjamin Lecomte; Lamine Gassama, Lamine Kone, Zargo Toure, Vincent Le Goff; Yann Jouffre, Francois Bellugou, Didier N'Dong, Raphael Guerreiro; Benjamin Jeannot, Benjamin Moukandjo
PSG (4-3-3): Kevin Trapp; Serge Aurier, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva, Layvin Kurzawa; Thiago Motta, Adrien Rabiot, Blaise Matuidi; Lucas, Angel Di Maria, Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Player to Watch
Just 12 months ago, Lorient’s Raphael Guerreiro was one of the most talked-about players in Ligue 1. Even this summer, per David Wright of the Daily Express, he was linked with a move to PSG. The champions made a move for Layvin Kurzawa instead, and the Portuguese international was left to continue his career in Brittany.
This season has been a more subdued event, but the left-sided midfielder has happily flown under the radar to put in some impressive performances. His only goal of the campaign came in the 1-1 derby draw against Rennes, and his only assist provided the 93rd minute equaliser for Moukandjo against Guingamp—another derby.
He is still one of FCL’s most threatening attackers. A constant threat down the left, his ability off the dribble and dangerous crosses should help pin back PSG’s threat from the right.
Key Battle
Saturday’s showdown at the Stade du Moustoir could provide Brazilian centre-back Thiago Silva with one of his biggest battles this season. Even without Majeed Waris through suspension, Ripoll can call upon Ligue 1’s joint top scorer, Benjamin Moukandjo, to spearhead his attack.
The Cameroonian forward has scored nine times in the league this season, a feat only matched by Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Although three of Moukandjo’s have come from the penalty spot, five of them have been the first goal of the game.
He is a threat on the last shoulder of the defender, strong, quick and, very possibly the first time in his career, deadly.
His two goals against Guingamp earned Lorient a tough away point, then he helped put Troyes to the sword. With four goals in two games, he will provide the biggest threat to the Parisians this weekend.
Thiago Silva has been in excellent form this season and is a major reason behind the impressive run his club are currently on, but it’s safe to say he is yet to be truly tested in the league campaign—that could all change when the two teams line up on Saturday.
Odds (via Odds Shark)
Home win: 141/20
Away win: 50/119
Draw: 83/25
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