PARIS (AP) — Ligue 1 Leaders Paris Saint-Germain host third-placed Strasbourg on Friday with a one-point difference.
It’s no surprise that PSG are top of the table, but Strasbourg, owned by Chelsea’s parent company Bruco from 2023, have exceeded expectations.
The team has homegrown talent and has continued to grow ever since. English coach Liam Rosenier I took over. This season, Strasbourg became the first team in the history of Europe’s top five domestic leagues to feature 11 starters born after 2000, according to Ligue 1 statistics.
Faith in youth is paying dividends. With 14 goals in seven games – the league’s third-best attacking force – and Argentine forward Joaquin Panichelli, the tournament’s top scorer, Strasbourg head to the Parc des Princes full of confidence after beating Angers 5-0 before the international break.
major matches
Behind PSG, Marseille and Lyon are level on points with Strasbourg. Marseille, who have both defensive stability and attacking efficiency, will aim for their sixth win against Le Havre on Saturday.
Lyon will be looking to bounce back in Nice after losing at home to Toulouse.
Monaco’s New manager Sebastian Pocognoli First taste of Ligue 1 in Angers. Monaco are in fifth place, three points behind PSG.
Featured players
After struggling to live up to the early hype of becoming the next Lionel Messi at Barcelona, Ansu Fati has found a new lease on life in Monaco.
Fati joined the Principality team on a season-long loan this summer in a bid to revive his injury-hit career, and so far it has paid off.
Fati set a new record by scoring twice from penalties in the 2-2 draw with Nice before the international break. Not since the 1947-1948 season has a player taken so short a time (just 126 minutes) to start his Ligue 1 career with a new club and score five goals. He beat Johan Oder, who took 137 minutes in Valenciennes (2007-08), and Emmanuel Rivière, who took 174 minutes in Monaco (2013-14).
Fati is also the league’s top scorer along with Panichelli.
Activity suspended
Marseille striker Amin Gouiri may miss the game against Le Havre after sustaining a right shoulder injury in a collision with the Ugandan goalkeeper while playing for Algeria.
PSG are still without captain Marquinhos, but forwards Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele could return in time for the game against Strasbourg.
off the field
A hot topic this week is Dembele’s future at PSG and the need for the club to reassess his salary following his departure. Ballon d’Or winner.
According to L’Equipe, PSG plan to use the 28-year-old’s achievements to improve their global image and attract new sponsors. However, the club will need to renegotiate his contract until 2028. L’Equipe estimate Dembele’s monthly salary to be more than 1.5 million euros (approximately 170 million yen), making him the highest paid player in the team, and report that his agent is seeking a pay rise to reflect his new position, an impressive 2024 season (35 goals, 16 assists) and his growing influence within the team.
However, due to stricter Financial Fair Play rules and declining TV revenues, PSG are wary of returning to the wage levels previously paid to Messi and Neymar, which are around 30 million euros a year net.
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