Paris Saint-Germain will put their undefeated streak at the Parc des Princes on the line this weekend when they host Toulouse in Ligue 1 action on Saturday.
Les Parisiens are currently five points clear of Marseille at the top of the table, defeating Montpellier 3-1 on Wednesday, while Les Pitchouns remained unbeaten in 2023 thanks to a 4-1 triumph over Troyes.
Match preview
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On Wednesday, Les Parisiens got their league campaign back on track, overcoming a pair of early penalty misses and some injury scares, capturing their second victory of the year.
While in the end they were deserved winners, the victory came at a cost as Kylian Mbappe was taken off in the opening half with a thigh injury which will keep him sidelined for three weeks.
Since the domestic campaign resumed following the conclusion of the World Cup, PSG have not looked nearly as dominant in this competition, claiming a mere 10 points in their previous six matches.
They have kept a clean sheet in the opening half in three of their previous four league fixtures but have also conceded with fewer than five minutes remaining on back-to-back occasions.
The reigning French champions have had their way with newly-promoted sides in this competition, unbeaten in 31 consecutive Ligue 1 fixtures against them, with their previous defeat coming in May 2010 versus Montpellier.
PSG have found the back of the net in every one of their domestic encounters played in the French capital this season and have not lost a Ligue 1 contest at the Parc des Princes since falling 1-0 to Lille in April 2021.
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Over a month into 2023, we are seeing a new Toulouse side brimming with confidence, claiming 13 out of a possible 15 points in the league this year.
That is a sharp contrast from what they managed domestically near the end of 2022, losing their final four Ligue 1 fixtures, including a 6-1 hammering at Marseille to wrap up the year.
In January, they took advantage of a light schedule regarding opponents as three of their five league games last month were against teams near the bottom of the table, three of whom are currently in the relegation zone (Ajaccio, Auxerre and Strasbourg), while the other two are just a point above that mark (Brest and Troyes).
February should see them face numerous formidable opponents, as three of their four league affairs are against sides currently in the top five (PSG, Marseille and Rennes).
Toulouse have been down many times throughout this campaign but never out, collecting 12 points domestically after conceding the opening goal, the most of any side in the top flight this season.
The other side to that coin is that they tend to be complacent when drawing first blood, losing two of their last three top-flight affairs in which they had scored the opening goal.
Team News
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Mbappe will miss this encounter and likely their round of 16 Coupe de France clash with Marseille, along with the opening leg of their Champions League fixture against Bayern Munich, because of his thigh injury.
Fabian Ruiz netted his first of the campaign for PSG on Wednesday, Lionel Messi fired home his second Ligue 1 goal of 2023, while Warren Zaire-Emery became the youngest player in club history to score in the top flight at 16 years and 330 days.
In their previous meeting with Toulouse this season, Messi contributed to his side's opening two goals, scored by Neymar and Mbappe, with Juan Bernat also netting for the first time in 2022-23, while Gianluigi Donnarumma stopped all five shots that he faced for the clean sheet.
Presnel Kimpembe remains out because of a sore Achilles tendon, Nordi Mukiele has a hamstring strain, Neymar is questionable due to muscle fatigue, Sergio Ramos was substituted on Wednesday following a head collision and Marco Verratti could be back in the lineup this weekend, having served his one-match suspension on Wednesday.
Thijs Dallinga has three goals in his last two matches, as he, Fares Chaibi, Branco van den Boomen and Ado Onaiwu all found the back of the net for Toulouse versus Troyes.
Maxime Dupe is third among Ligue 1 goalkeepers for saves this season, and Rafael Ratao is without a goal in his last four domestic affairs, which is also the case for Brecht Dejaegere.
Denis Genreau could be out of the lineup for this encounter due to a muscle injury, while manager Philippe Montanier made two changes to his starting 11 earlier this week, with Gabriel Suazo and Dejargere replacing Zakaria Aboukhlal and Moussa Diarra.
Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:
Donnarumma; Mendes, Pembele, Marquinhos, Hakimi; Verratti, Pereira, Vitinha, Soler; Ekitike, Messi
Toulouse possible starting lineup:
Dupe; Desler, Rouault, Nicolaisen, Suazo; Aboukhlal, Spierings, Van den Boomen; Chaibi, Dallinga, Onaiwu
We say: Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 Toulouse
PSG have not conceded in five successive matches versus les Violets, and although they are missing some of their top players, les Parisiens have been at their best on home soil, so we expect them to win comfortably this weekend.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
