PSG vs Monaco

Parc des Princes forms the backdrop for a blockbuster Ligue 1 showdown between Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco.

Following a bumpy start to life under new manager Luis Enrique, record-time Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain are seemingly back to their best, with a five-game winning league streak firing them to the table’s summit. It took ‘Les Parisiens’ more time than expected to ascend to the throne, but they must fight to stay on top. A three-point distance on third-placed Monaco means this fixture has all the makings of a top-table six-pointer. The visitors have been a thorn in PSG’s side in recent years, as evidenced by the home team’s underwhelming three-game winless H2H run (D1, L2). Moreover, Enrique’s men have only won once in their last four top-flight meetings with Monaco on home turf (D2, L1), keeping just one clean sheet in this sequence.

On the other hand, Adi Hutter’s honeymoon period is officially over, with Monaco’s indifferent three-game form in Ligue 1 (W1, D1, L1) seeing them surrender their place at the top to PSG. An uneventful goalless draw at newcomers Le Havre last time out has marked Monaco’s second scoring blank in three league fixtures. Against this backdrop, the visitors have tallied a league second-high 25 goals behind PSG (29). Scoring prowess could be Monaco’s best chance of extending their impressive run against ‘Les Parisiens,’ especially considering they’ve not always been the best version of themselves on the road this season (W2, D3, L1). Plugging defensive holes will be equally significant, with Monaco only registering one clean sheet across six Ligue 1 travels under Hutter.