Monaco vs PSG

Stade Louis II is the venue as Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain lock horns in a top-four Ligue 1 six-pointer.

Monaco had blown hot and cold in the opening stage of the 2022/23 Ligue 1 season, yet ‘Les Monegasques’ have gone from strength to strength after the World Cup break. Philippe Clement’s men have racked up five wins and two draws in seven league outings since December’s resumption, including a 2-0 triumph at Clermont Foot last time out. Indeed, Monaco took advantage of their top-three rivals’ slip-ups in the previous round to move within a single point of third-placed Lens. Though they start this matchday ten points adrift of leaders PSG, a potential win here may blow the title race wide open. Clement’s charges have won their last two home league encounters against PSG by an aggregate score of 6-2, so there’s plenty of reason for enthusiasm.

In the meantime, PSG experienced a topsy-turvy four-game start to the new calendar year (W1, D1, L2), but they’ve rallied their troops, winning their last two Ligue 1 fixtures to solidify their place at the summit. Without talismanic forward Kylian Mbappe, PSG needed a vintage Lionel Messi performance to pull off a come-from-behind 2-1 home win over Toulouse last weekend, yet they subsequently lost 2-1 to Marseille in midweek Coupe de France action. Paris’ poor defensive showings have seen them concede in four consecutive league games for the first time since May 2021, so they can ill-afford to rest on their recent laurels. Topically, they’ve lost two of their last three away league matches (W1), only one defeat fewer than in the entire 2022.