Champions League runners-up Paris Saint-Germain return to Ligue 1 action on Thursday evening as they square off against Lens at Stade Bollaert-Delelis.
After earning promotion from the second tier, the home side suffered a 2-1 defeat at Nice in their opening fixture of the season.
Match preview
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When PSG take to the pitch on Thursday, just over two-and-a-half weeks would have passed since they suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich in the Champions League final.
With the game arguably the biggest in their history, there is the realistic possibility of that disappointment lingering heading into the new campaign.
However, PSG have already been boosted by many of their rivals already dropping points this season, effectively providing them with some leeway for error as they bid to get back up to top gear.
Tuchel has been left searching for a solution to the increasing amount of positive coronavirus cases which are emerging in his squad, most recently for Kylian Mbappe who faces the likelihood of missing the next four games.
Although a postponement cannot be ruled out at this stage, Tuchel will hope that having to call upon some of his fringe players will have a galvanising effect on the squad.
While Lens directly benefitted from French football being curtailed early, they face a battle to get up to speed against stronger opposition.
Having tested current leaders Nice in their opening fixture, boss Franck Haise would have wanted to build on that performance as soon as possible.
However, PSG's European progress led to their encounter with the champions being set back a couple of weeks, leaving Lens to participate in friendlies to maintain their match sharpness.
With the break in action being followed by two games in three days, the second against Lorient, Haise has decisions to make regarding the fitness of his players as the club look forward to their first home contest of the season.
Lens Ligue 1 form: L
Paris Saint-Germain form (all competitions): WWWWL
Team News
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Mbappe and Neymar head a list of PSG players who will play no part of the game on Thursday night due to coronavirus issues.
Keylor Navas, Marquinhos, Leandro Paredes, Angel Di Maria and Mauro Icardi have also tested positive over the past 10 days.
With Thiago Silva having left for Chelsea, Tuchel will select a much-changed team from the one which lined up against Bayern.
Given the shortage of attacking players, PSG could line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation headed by Jese Rodriguez or Arnaud Kalimuendo.
As far as Lens are concerned, Haise may name the same XI which pushed Nice all the way in their first competitive fixture of the season.
Former Chelsea youngster Gael Kakuta, now on the 12th club of his career, netted on his debut.
Lens possible starting lineup:
Leca; Gradit, Bade, Medina; Michelin, Cahuzac, Doucoure, Boura; Kakuta; Sotoca, Ganago
Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:
Bulka; Kehrer, Kimpembe, Diallo; Dagba, Herrera, Gueye, Bernat; Draxler; Sarabia; Kalimuendo
We say: Lens 0-3 Paris Saint-Germain
While a number of factors are currently hindering the visitors, we still expect a comfortable win for the champions. Although Lens will be eager to impress, a lack of competitive game time is not ideal ahead of facing the champions.
Top betting tip
Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting that both teams will score (BTTS - yes) in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.BTTS Yes:data
Darren Plant
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Paris Saint-Germain win with a probability of 74.4%. A draw had a probability of 15.3% and a win for Lens had a probability of 10.32%.
The most likely scoreline for a Paris Saint-Germain win was 0-2 with a probability of 10.42%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.15%) and 0-3 (9.06%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (7.02%), while for a Lens win it was 2-1 (3.08%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 2.7% likelihood.
