Paris Saint-Germain vs Reims

Paris Saint-Germain’s quest to defend the Ligue 1 title for a third season on the trot continues at the Parc des Princes against mid-table Rennes.

Standout forward Kylian Mbappe ran the show in San Sebastian as Paris Saint-Germain defeated Real Sociedad 2-1 in midweek Champions League action to secure progression into the quarter-finals. Free to focus on upcoming domestic commitments, Luis Enrique’s men return to Ligue 1 action in pursuit of a first win in three league games (D2). Despite their recent downturn in form, Les Parisiens start this round nine points clear of their nearest title challengers and seem destined to claim a record-extending 12th Ligue 1 crown. There’s no reason for frustration, as they’re unbeaten in their last 21 matches across all competitions (W15, D6). That’s not to mention they’ve strung together a 15-game unbeaten streak on home turf (W12, D3). But they’ve been quite vulnerable at the back, conceding in eight of their last 12 home league outings.

On the other hand, Reims’ disappointing run of one win from their last six league contests (D2, L3) doesn’t make for good reading ahead of the most challenging trip in Ligue 1. A disheartening 1-0 home loss to Lille in the previous round demoted the visitors ninth in the standings, throwing their European hopes into further doubt. Will Still’s men trail sixth-placed Nice by six points and have a chance to cut that deficit in half with an unlikely win in Paris. Despite winning two of their last three away league matches (L1), the visitors come into proceedings as pre-game underdogs, not least because they’ve lost seven of their nine top-flight H2Hs in Paris this century (W1, D1). But it’s worth noting they held PSG winless in both Ligue 1 duels last term (D2) before slumping to a 3-0 defeat in November’s reverse fixture.