Paris Saint-Germain are still waiting for their first Ligue 1 win of the season as they prepare to entertain Lens at Parc des Princes on Saturday evening.
Lens finished a solitary point behind champions PSG last term, but neither side has managed to hit the ground running in 2023-24.
Match preview
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Paris Saint-Germain were held to a goalless draw by Lorient on the opening weekend, despite dominating proceedings on home soil, racking up 20 shots while preventing their visitors from registering a single attempt on target.
Luis Enrique's side produced another commanding performance last time out but failed to make the most of their dominance, drawing 1-1 at Toulouse after chalking up 77% possession and 16 shots.
PSG appeared to be heading for their first win of the season when Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring from the penalty spot midway through the second half, but a clumsy foul by Achraf Hakimi handed the hosts a penalty late on, with Zakaria Aboukhlal converting the spot kick on 87 minutes.
Although Les Parisiens clinched a ninth Ligue 1 title in 11 years last season, they were by no means perfect, losing seven of their 38 matches while conceding 40 goals - 11 goals more than runners-up Lens.
It is also worth noting that Lens suffered three defeats fewer than PSG last term, pushing the perennial champions all the way before falling a solitary point short, so the Blood and Gold will be determined to go one better this time around.
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That said, Lens have also made a disappointing start to the new campaign, taking one point from a possible six while dropping five points from losing positions.
Franck Haise's men found themselves 2-0 up inside 22 minutes against Brest on the opening weekend, courtesy of early goals from Florian Sotoca and Deiver Machado, but they ended up conceding three goals to suffer a 3-2 defeat at Stade Francis-Le Ble.
Machado scored again as the Blood and Gold raced into an early lead against Rennes last weekend, but the hosts failed to hold onto their advantage once again, with Benjamin Bourigeaud netting a second-half penalty to snatch a share of the spoils for his team.
After registering eight shots against Brest, Lens racked up 15 attempts against Rennes, but they wasted multiple opportunities on both occasions and clearly missed Lois Openda following his move to RB Leipzig.
Still, all the pressure will be on PSG when the two sides meet on Saturday night, meaning that Lens can play with freedom at the Parc des Princes and take the game to the stuttering champions.
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Team News
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Paris Saint-Germain are currently without defensive trio Juan Bernat, Presnel Kimpembe and Nuno Mendes due to injury, while Nordi Mukiele, Sergio Rico and Alexandre Letellier also remain sidelined.
Kylian Mbappe came off the bench to score last weekend, but the key forward will likely start from the off on Saturday, joining Ousmane Dembele and Goncalo Ramos in attack.
Marquinhos and Milan Skriniar will occupy the centre-back spots in a 4-3-3 formation, with new signing Manuel Ugarte anchoring the midfield.
As for Lens, Jimmy Cabot, Wuilker Farinez and Wesley Said are all expected to miss the trip to the capital due to injury, while Neil El Aynaoui is suspended.
Franck Haise will likely stick with a 3-4-2-1 formation this weekend, with Florian Sotoca leading the line, while former Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Brice Samba will continue between the sticks.
Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:
Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Skriniar, Hernandez; Zaire-Emery, Ugarte, Ruiz; Dembele, Ramos, Mbappe
Lens possible starting lineup:
Samba; Gradit, Danso, Medina; Frankowski, Samed, Diouf, Machado; Thomasson, Fulgini; Sotoca
We say: Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 Lens
Saturday's showdown looks destined to be a tense and cagey encounter between two underperforming teams, but we expect PSG to flex their muscles and edge out Lens on home soil.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
