Preview: Paris FC vs Le Havre - prediction, team news, lineups

Paris FC will aim to continue their steady Ligue 1 campaign on Sunday when they host Le Havre at the Stade Jean-Bouin, in a fixture that promises to be a tightly contested battle between two evenly matched sides.

With both teams looking to maintain a safe distance from the relegation zone, recent meetings suggest another cagey affair, as the last four encounters between them have all ended without a winner since January 2022.

Match preview

Nine points clear of the relegation playoff spot and sitting 13th in the Ligue 1 table, Paris FC have gradually eased their fears of dropping to Ligue 2, and the appointment of Antoine Kombouare in February could prove to be one of the club’s most decisive moves this season if they secure survival.

Five points from a possible nine since Kombouare’s arrival have lifted morale, and a return home on Sunday will provide further encouragement as the 62-year-old looks to guide his side to a consecutive home victory after back-to-back draws on the road.

The capital club earned another point last weekend with a goalless draw at Strasbourg, having also been held by Olympique Lyonnais the week before after conceding a dramatic 96th-minute penalty that denied them all three points.

Their 1-0 win over Nice earlier this month marked their first home victory since beating Lorient 2-0 in October, and they now have the opportunity to record back-to-back home wins for the first time this season.

Kombouare’s side have lost just once in their last six matches and will be aiming for a fourth home clean sheet of the campaign, a target boosted by their defensive resilience in shutting out Strasbourg last time out.

Recent meetings with Le Havre suggest another tight encounter, with the last three league clashes ending goalless and the last four overall meetings since January 2022 producing no winner, while the Parisians hold a slight edge historically with seven wins from 18 encounters compared to six draws and five defeats.

Just one point and one place behind their hosts, Le Havre ended a run of three consecutive league defeats for the first time this season by securing a goalless draw at home to Lyon last weekend.

Despite being reduced to 10 men early in the second half following Stephan Zagadou’s red card for a professional foul on on-loan Real Madrid striker Endrick, Didier Digard’s side showed resilience to hold on and earn a valuable point.

What had been a relatively stable campaign took a downturn in February with defeats to Nantes, Paris Saint-Germain and Stade Brestois, halting momentum built from their second set of back-to-back victories earlier in the season.

Le Club Doyen arrive for this fixture with just two points from their last seven away matches in Ligue 1, having scored only once during that run and recorded just one away win all season.

They have managed only six league victories in total this campaign, matching the number they accumulated during the 2025 calendar year in the previous season.

Paris FC Ligue 1 form:

Le Havre Ligue 1 form:

Team News

© Imago / PsnewZ

Paris FC were boosted by the return of Rudy Matondo and Marshall Munetsi against Strasbourg after both players recovered from injury issues sustained against Lyon to feature in the starting lineup last weekend.

However, the hosts remain without Pierre-Yves Hamel (calf), Ilan Kebbal (quadriceps), Samir Chergui (hamstring), Vincent Marchetti (lumbago), and Tuomas Ollila (bruise).

Le Havre, meanwhile, welcomed back defender Loic Nego against Lyon following a calf injury, although Abdoulaye Touré is still recovering from a knee problem.

Gautier Lloris and Simon Ebonog are both sidelined, while Yanis Zouaoui and Zagadou will miss the trip to the capital through suspension.

Paris FC possible starting lineup:

Trapp; De Smet, Coppola, Mbow, Camara; Lees-Melou, Munetsi, Matondo; Simon, Ikone, Immobile

Le Havre possible starting lineup:

Diaw; Leko, Sangante, Kechta, Koffi; Seko, Gourna-Douath, Ndiaye, Boufal; Samatta, Soumare

We say: Paris FC 1-0 Le Havre

Paris FC have become defensively solid under Kombouare, conceding only from a late penalty against Lyon in recent matches, which highlights their growing resilience at the back.

Although this fixture has consistently been low-scoring with shared points in recent years, the renewed energy in the capital could prove decisive, and the hosts may just edge the contest to hand Le Havre another defeat.

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