PSG begin the defence of their Ligue 1 title as they travel to Le Havre for an opening day fixture on Friday.
The champions may have lost Kylian Mbappe but should still have enough to see off their hosts, who are coming off a poor preseason.
It was a poor campaign for Le Havre last season as they barely escaped the drop, eventually finishing 15th on the standings. The tail-end of the season was quite woeful for Didier Digard’s men, who claimed just one win from their final nine matches.
Le Havre appear to have carried that form into preseason as they claimed just one win from six friendly matches. They head into Friday’s Ligue 1 opener off the back of a 6-0 defeat to German side Bochum in their final warm-up fixture.
PSG were far from their best last season, but it is a testament to their quality over everyone else that they eventually emerged champions. They are still favourites for this year’s title but must embark on their campaign without Mbappe, who has moved to Real Madrid.
Manager Luis Enrique has not been particularly busy in the transfer window, bringing in Joao Neves and William Pacho, although he is still on the lookout for a striker. Pre-season was a bit unremarkable for PSG as they drew their two warm-up matches.
How the bookies view it: Smooth sailing for PSG
PSG have been installed as overwhelming favourites among the bookies and are priced at 2/5 by Betfred to claim the win. Le Havre are considered outsiders, with a home win priced at 11/2 while Betfred is also offering 100/30 for a draw.
Head to head: Parisians on top
PSG have a 13-3 advantage with five draws from 11 previous matches against Le Havre. The Parisians were unbeaten in this fixture last season, winning 2-0 at home before playing out a 3-3 draw at the Stade Oceane.
Players to watch: Ramos front and centre
Goncalo Ramos is expected to step up in the absence of Mbappe and could be the one to watch on Friday. Having scored 11 Ligue 1 goals last season, the striker could be backed to find the net at 6/5 with Betfred.
Emmanuel Sabbi caught the eye for Le Havre last season and will be keen to carry that form into the season. The forward could be worth keeping an eye on to score anytime on Friday at 100/30 with Betfred.
Probable line-up
Emmanuel Sabbi should feature in attack for Le Havre alongside Andre Ayew, who also stood out last season. Christopher Operi is likely to start in defence while Kandet Diawara should line up in midfield.
Ramos scored off the bench in PSG’s final warm-up game against RB Leipzig and could be handed a start on Friday. Osman Dembele and Marco Ansensio are also in contention to start while Milan Skriniar and Marquinhos should partner in defence.
Le Havre: Desmas, Nego, Sangante, Kinkoue, Operi, Kuzyaev, Diawara, Toure, Ayew, Ngoura, Sabbi
PSG: Donnarumma, Somerset, Skriniar, Pacho, Nuno Mendes, Zaire-Emery, Vitinha, Asensio, Dembele, Lee Kang-In, Goncalo Ramos
Anything else catch the eye?
There were six goals in the last meeting between PSG and Brest and could be set for another high scoring encounter. Over 4.5 goals is priced at 7/2 by Betfred, who is also offering odds of 13/8 for over 3.5 goals.
Given the superior quality in PSG’s attack, they could be backed to score in both halves at 11/10 with Betfred. The Parisians are also expected to be dominant and could be backed to win both halves at 9/4 by Betfred.
This French Ligue 1 match between Le Havre and PSG will be played on Aug 16, 2024 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Le Havre vs PSG prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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