Troyes vs. PSG: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream and TV Info
After AS Monaco’s 2-2 draw at home to Stade de Reims on Friday, Paris Saint-Germain can be crowned Ligue 1 champions for the fourth consecutive season with victory away at rock bottom ESTAC Troyes on Sunday.
Should Le Parisiens fail to beat Mohamed Bradja’s men, they will get the chance to seal the title at Parc des Princes against second-placed Monaco the following Sunday.
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Date: Sunday, March 13
Time: 2 p.m. CET (1 p.m. GMT/8 a.m. EST)
Venue: Stade de l’Aube
TV Info: beIN Sports 1 (France), BT Sport 1 (UK) and beIN Sports 9 and beIN Sports (USA)
Live Stream: beIN Sports Connect
Preamble
Fresh from booking their place in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League with a 2-1 win away at Chelsea on Wednesday to seal a 4-2 aggregate victory, PSG can now complete a fantastic week by officially clinching the Ligue 1 title with a win at Troyes.
Laurent Blanc’s men are 22 points clear of Monaco going into the clash at Stade de l’Aube, but a three-point haul against Bradja’s side will create a 25-point lead that will be unassailable for Les Monegasques with just eight games left to play after this weekend.
In the unlikely event that Les Parisiens fail to take all three points against Troyes, then the capital outfit will have another chance to be crowned kings of Le Championnat the following week at home to the men from the principality.
With safe passage to the Champions League quarter-finals now secured, Blanc is likely to rest a few players—even though the title is on the line.
Blaise Matuidi played through the pain barrier against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, so he is likely to be given a breather and Marco Verratti—who missed the London clash through injury—will also not feature until the last eight of the competition.
Thiago Motta is suspended, so Blanc will have to align a new-look midfield three in the Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine region, while Edinson Cavani is set to get a rare start with Lucas and Angel Di Maria likely to be rested.
Form Lines (all competitions)
Troyes
L 1-2 (AET) vs. AS Saint-Etienne (Coupe de France)
W 2-3 vs. Gazelec Ajaccio (Ligue 1)
L 3-1 vs. AS Monaco (Ligue 1)
L 0-1 vs. FC Lorient (Ligue 1)
L 2-1 vs. OGC Nice (Ligue 1)
PSG
W 4-1 vs. Stade de Reims (Ligue 1)
L 2-1 vs. Olympique Lyonnais (Ligue 1)
W 1-3 vs. Saint-Etienne (Coupe de France)
D 0-0 vs. Montpellier HSC (Ligue 1)
W 1-2 vs. Chelsea (Champions League)
Predicted Formations
"Troyes-Paris : les compos probables (LeParisien et L'Équipe) #ESTACPSG #PSG pic.twitter.com/F38aXe9fLF
— Paris No Limit™ (@ParisNoLimit) March 13, 2016"
Troyes (4-2-3-1): Dreyer; Ngconga, Rincon, Saunier, Dabo; Thiago; Camus, Nivet (c), Pi, Jean; Gueye.
PSG (4-3-3): Trapp; Van der Wiel, Silva (c), Luiz/Marquinhos, Kurzawa; Stambouli, Pastore, Rabiot; Augustin/Di Maria, Ibrahimovic, Cavani.
Player to Watch
After a goal and an assist to down Chelsea on Wednesday, Zlatan Ibrahimovic continues to be in the best form of his career.
The super Swede is likely to play a key role in confirming PSG’s sixth Ligue 1 title as he chases the 30-goal mark in the French top flight.
Ibrahimovic has 23 goals and 10 assists from 23 appearances in Le Championnat at present and the 34-year-old is within seven goals of his current best tally of 30 from his debut 2012-13 season.
Eight more goals will help him set a new best tally and in doing so, definitely break Jean-Pierre Papin’s modern record of 30 goals from the 1989-90 campaign.
Key Battle
If Troyes are to stand any chance of pulling off a shock result against PSG, they will need to find some way of shackling Ibrahimovic and the visitors’ front line.
Even if the likes of Rincon, Matthieu Saunier, Anele Ngcongca and Mouhamadou Dabo find some way of keeping the insatiable Zlatan out on Sunday, they will still need to avoid Cavani or Jean-Kevin Augustin finding the net.
If those two fail to score, then Javier Pastore and Adrien Rabiot will offer other goal threats from midfield.
Essentially, it is mission impossible for Troyes. Ligue 1’s most porous defence and most toothless attack are up against the league’s meanest rearguard and most prolific front line.
Even if they are not at their best, PSG should still have far too much for Bradja’s strugglers.
Odds (OddsShark)
Troyes: +951
PSG: -312
Draw: +379
