Ligue 1 | Gameweek 17

Jan 12, 2025 at 7.45pm UK

Parc des Princes

PSG vs St Etienne

Match preview

A last-minute goal by Ousmane Dembele got PSG a 1-0 win over Les Monegasques, making sure Luis Enrique's team now have all the domestic trophies they can get.

It might be a bit early to call it a repeat performance, but the reigning champions are showing no signs of fatigue in their bid to stay on top. They're doing well in both domestic competitions this season.

Before their Super Cup win, the Parisians made it to the next round of the Coupe de France by beating Lens on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

In Ligue 1, PSG are top of the table with a seven-point lead over Marseille.

Their most recent league game saw them beat Monaco 4-2 away on 18 December, bringing their total to 40 points after 16 matches, with 12 wins and four draws.

Next up for them is their first top-flight game of the new year, against a team they've beaten 43 times in 81 meetings in the competition. They've won more games only against Metz (46) and Nantes (44).

Travelling to the Parc des Princes, where PSG have won seven of their eight games this season, would be a tough place for any opponent to play, but Saint-Etienne might hope their new manager bounce lasts beyond a single game.

Eirik Horneland, appointed on 20 December after Olivier Dall'Oglio was sacked, made a winning start as the Greens' head coach with a 3-1 victory against Reims in his debut match last weekend.

That result ended a four-match losing streak in all competitions for Les Verts and lifted them out of the relegation zone, leaving them 15th with 16 points, one clear of 16th-placed Nantes.

If they want to avoid being demoted, Saint-Etienne will be hoping to benefit from PSG's poor record in first league matches of a calendar year, with the Parisians failing to win three of the last four.

But the visitors' away form is pretty dire, with seven losses and just one draw from eight games on the road. That makes them the team with the second-worst away record in the division.

Recent Performance

Paris Saint-Germain Ligue 1 form:WWDDWW

Paris Saint-Germain form (all competitions):DWWWWW

Saint-Etienne Ligue 1 form:LWLLLW

Saint-Etienne form (all competitions):WLLLLW

Team News

With no players currently injured or suspended, manager Enrique has a bunch of options and could look to freshen up his attack.

Bradley Barcola, who's the joint-second top scorer in the league, might be brought back into the starting XI after coming off the bench in PSG's last two games, and Goncalo Ramos is also in the running for a spot in the central forward role.

Dembele, the Super Cup hero, is pretty much guaranteed a place in the starting XI, and the French winger is set to cause problems for Saint-Etienne down the flank.

As for the visitors, Ibrahim Sissoko won't be playing as he's still serving a seven-match suspension following his dismissal against Marseille in the French Cup.

A bunch of players from Sainte are going to miss this weekend's match because of injuries, like Mathis Amougou, Ibrahima Wadji, Yvann Macon, Ben Old and Thomas Monconduit, but they should all be back later in the month.

Manager Horneland might stick with the winning side from their previous game, with Augustine Boakye, who scored twice in that match, likely to keep his place on the wing.

Possible starting lineup

Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:

Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes; Zaire-Emery, Vitinha, Neves; Dembele, Ramos, Barcola

Saint-Etienne possible starting lineup:

Larsonneur; Batubinsika, Nade, Petrot, Appiah; Mouton, Ekwah; Boakye, Bouchouari, Cafaro; Stassin