While PSG regained their position of Ligue 1 leaders, Luis Enrique’s men have been far from flawless in recent weeks. And after yet another slip-up over the weekend, they will host Nice, whose confidence resurged after three consecutive wins.
You will never not hear about it when PSG fail to win a domestic match and it happened three times in October. The Parisians managed to win only one of their last four Ligue 1 fixtures, and while they didn’t lose once, the three draws put their goals at risk.
PSG are barely holding the lead, with five teams within three points of them. Every mistake from now on will put them behind one of their chasers and Nice certainly have big plans after beating PSG at Parc des Princes last term.
The Eagles have risen from the ashes like a phoenix, winning their last three Ligue 1 fixtures after only accumulating eight points from the first seven rounds. Beating PSG is not impossible and Nice proved it last season during the champions’ best-ever campaign.
How the bookies view it: The Champions to step up
A three-match win streak is not enough to convince bookmakers of Nice’s chances against PSG, although they’ve performed well at Parc des Princes lately. Accordingly, you can back the hosts at just 1/4, while Nice are available at 9/1 as heavy underdogs. Additionally, the draw is priced at 21/4.
Recent head-to-head: The Eagles won last time here
As mentioned multiple times already, Nice have been a troublemaker in recent H2Hs, losing only two of the last five encounters. At the same time, the Eagles won three of the last five matches away in Paris, including last season’s 3-1 win.
Players to watch: PSG need Dembele
Luis Enrique has reintegrated Ousmane Dembele into the squad throughout the last three matches, giving him more and more minutes until he made the starting line-up against Lorient. Now, it’s time for the Balon d’Or winner to improve his form and start scoring goals.
PSG need his goals now, as the rest of the frontline has been far from successful in Ligue 1 this season, compared to what we got used to seeing last season. Nice are a tough opponent overall, but their defensive work has not been flawless.
Probable line-ups
Paris Saint-Germain: Chevalier, Hernandez, Marquinhos, Pacho, Hakimi, Zaire-Emery, Vitinha, Mayulu, Barcola, Dembele, Kvaratskhelia
Nice: Diouf, Oppong, Bah, Mendy, Bard, Samed, Vanhoutte, Gouveia, Diop, Carlos, Boga
Anything else catch the eye?
While PSG have been underperforming and Nice have not looked better this season, it is quite unlikely the hosts will lose this clash. The Eagles’ away win at Rennes ended their six-match winless run on the road, during which they lost five times.
But one win doesn’t change the fact Nice have been dreadful in away games this season, conceding 2+ goals in each match apart from the recent win. The positive is that they also scored in each of those games, and given PSG’s questionable defensive form, we expect BTTS here too.
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