Monaco and Paris FC were involved in the two most entertaining clashes mid-week and are scheduled to meet on Saturday, where a win could send the Monegasques straight to the top of the table.
Monaco finally escaped the bad run and their back-to-back wins put them just one point behind table leaders PSG. The early managerial change is finally beginning to work out, as the Monegasques are unbeaten in four matches since Sebastien Pocognoli took charge.
Few would bet against Monaco on home soil in Ligue 1, as the hosts are unbeaten at Stade Louis II in 2025, with their last defeat dating back to mid-December 2024.
While many expected Paris FC to be one of the punching bags of Ligue 1 this season, the newly-promoted capital club has held its own against some of the league’s best. Immediate relegation is still on the table, but results like the 3-3 with Lyon mid-week show glimpses of the team’s hidden potential.
But with just one away win since the start of the campaign, it’s hard to imagine the Blues getting anything out of their first clash with Monaco in 46 years.
How the bookies view it: Great value if you back Monaco
Despite the obvious gap in class, Monaco’s betting advantage is not as significant as we expected. Of course, the visitors are heavy underdogs, but the odds are not extreme, which provides extra value if you plan to back the hosts.
Currently, you can pick Monaco at 7/10, while both the draw and Paris’ win are available at 33/10.
Recent head-to-head: Monaco won 7-1 but it was 46 years ago
It’s been a long while since Monaco and Paris met in Ligue 1. To be exact, the visitors were last part of the elite 46 years ago. Back then, the Monegasques won the last five encounters, with the most recent one being an extreme 7-1 win. More recently, the teams met in a club friendly in 2015, which ended in a 0-0 stalemate.
Players to watch: Can Golovin keep it up?
With 238 appearances for Monaco, Aleksandr Golovin can be considered a club legend and still remains a key piece in the squad. He missed half of the team’s games this season due to a muscle injury but is back on his feet and scoring.
He got subbed on in the 69th minute against Nantes and immediately found the net, later adding a second one for the final 5-3. While he rarely puts his name on the scoresheet, his link-up play and off-the-ball movement is always solid, and we can back Betano’s option for him to score or assist at 3/2.
Probable line-ups
Monaco: Kohn, Henrique, Kehrer, Salisu, Ouattara, Golovin, Teze, Diatta, Akliouche, Minamino, Balogun
Paris FC: Nkambadio, Traore, Mbow, Otavio, Chergui, Lees-Melou, Marchetti, Lopez, Kebbal, Geubbels, Simon
Anything else catch the eye?
If you want a suitable fixture for an Over 2.5 bet this weekend, then you’re probably looking for Monaco vs Paris. Statistically, these are the two teams with the most overs since the start of the season – seven each in 10 rounds. Moreover, Monaco average 3.9 goals per match and Paris average 3.7.
Additionally, all of Paris FC’s matches this season featured a goal before half time, which was also the case in every one of Monaco’s home games. In other words, there is a wealth of options for this fixture, and we tried to pick the best ones below.
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