PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain needed stoppage-time winners in their final two league games to maintain a narrow lead at the top of Ligue 1.
The defending champions have a two-point lead over Marseille and third-placed Reims heading into Round 13, when PSG host Le Havre on Saturday.
Marseille and Reims both face tough matches, so there could be some upheaval.
major matches
Marseille first face southern rivals Nice on Friday night.
Nice have regained their form for a while, but Frank Hayes’ side have lost their last two games. Marseille’s unstable defense continues to perform well, with Roberto de Zerbi’s side aiming for a third consecutive clean sheet in Ligue 1.
Reims host Strasbourg on Saturday, with the third-placed side facing the fourth-placed side.
Both are good offensively. Lenses are getting sharper since the French winger Florian Thauvin Pierre Sage’s side, who joined from Udinese, have scored seven goals in two games, including a 4-1 away victory over Monaco.
Strasbourg boast one of the most dangerous combinations in Ligue 1, with Dutchman Emmanuel Emega, the club’s top scorer with 14 league goals last season, alongside summer signing Joaquín Panicelli.
Panicelli is currently the top scorer with nine goals, and the Argentine, whose father was also a striker, has an instinct for the penalty box and a flair for spectacular shots.
Featured players
Joao Neves can’t stop scoring.
The midfielder, who scored a hat-trick for Portugal in the recent World Cup qualifiers, has now added to his tally of goals in consecutive matches for PSG since returning from a minor thigh injury.
In PSG’s last match, the diminutive Neves scored the winning goal in stoppage time with a perfectly timed header. he also PSG hat trick This season.
paul pogba He was once one of Europe’s most prolific midfielders, but has not played for more than two years. The 32-year-old former France international and Juventus star was finally able to make his Monaco debut after suffering a minor ankle injury. Manager Sebastian Pocognoli ultimately hopes to feature him for Saturday’s trip to Rennes.
Activity suspended
Monaco defender Eric Dier, who has just recovered from a hamstring injury, was ruled out again with a muscular injury.
PSG’s star fullback Achraf Hakimi (Ankle) Nuno Mendes (knee) will be out for several weeks, along with Ballon d’Or winner and forward Desiree Douai (thigh) Ousmane Dembele (calf).
Lille centre-back Alexandro is nursing a thigh injury. The Brazil international hopes to continue his recovery at the Aspetar clinic in Qatar, rather than undergoing the surgery the club had hoped for.
off the field
PSG embroiled in legal battle Kylian MbappeThe club’s record scorer with 256 goals.
both sides are demanding hundreds of millions of euros Amid a bitter stalemate over Mbappé’s contract before he joins Real Madrid in the summer of 2024. The $800 million lawsuit includes accusations of bullying, betrayal and harassment, and is scheduled to be decided on Dec. 16 at the Paris Industrial Court.
Meanwhile, Lorient, who has been promoted, feels ambitious.
Club chairman Loïc Ferry wants his shares to be integrated into the Black Knight Football Club Group, which will become its sole shareholder.
BKFC owns the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights and acquired a minority ownership interest in minnows Lorient in January 2023 as part of a multi-club ownership strategy.
Mr Ferry wants to develop the club’s 18,000-capacity Le Moustoire stadium in what he calls the “hypercompetitive environment” of football.
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