Paris Saint-Germain will switch their attention back to Ligue 1 affairs this weekend as they prepare to travel to Stade Geoffroy-Guichard to take on Saint-Etienne.
Thomas Tuchel's side are currently five points clear at the top of Ligue 1, while Saint-Etienne sit eighth having collected 25 points from their 17 league matches during the 2019-20 campaign.
Match preview
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Saint-Etienne brought their 2019-20 Europa League campaign to a close with a 1-0 loss at Wolfsburg on Thursday night. The French side failed to pick up a single win from their six group fixtures, ultimately finishing third in the section behind Gent and Wolfsburg.
Claude Puel's side recorded a 4-1 win over Nice in their last home league game on December 4, but they will enter this weekend's clash off the back of successive defeats to Reims and Wolfsburg.
Seven wins and four draws have seen Saint-Etienne pick up 25 points from their 17 matches, leaving them in eighth spot in the table. They are only three points off third-placed Lille as things stand, meaning that a positive result on Sunday is likely to propel them up the division.
No team in the top half of Ligue 1 has conceded more times (23) than the Greens this season, which will be slightly concerning for their fans heading into a clash with the best team in France.
Saint-Etienne have not beaten PSG in the league since November 2012, meanwhile, although they did hold the Paris giants to a 1-1 draw in the corresponding match during the 2017-18 campaign.
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PSG rounded off their Champions League group-stage campaign in spectacular fashion on Wednesday night as they recorded a 5-0 win over Galatasaray on home soil. Neymar and Kylian Mbappe were both on the scoresheet for the French champions, who topped the section ahead of Real Madrid.
It will be fascinating to see how the team perform in the latter stages of the Champions League this season as they have struggled to take that next step in recent years.
The European Cup is the competition that the owners really want to win, but PSG's focus for the moment must be on domestic matters as they have league matches in addition to fixtures in both cup competitions over the next few weeks.
Tuchel's side have actually already lost three times in the league this season - the same number as second-placed Marseille - but they top the pile with 39 points from 16 matches, five clear of second spot.
There is no question that the reigning champions will be the favourites to triumph on Sunday night, but they only recorded a narrow 1-0 victory in the corresponding match last season, while as mentioned, Les Parisiens were held to a 1-1 draw in this fixture as recent as April 2018.
Saint-Etienne Ligue 1 competition form: WWDLWL
Saint-Etienne form (all competitions): DDLWLL
Paris Saint-Germain Ligue 1 form: WLWWWW
Paris Saint-Germain form (all competitions): WWDWWW
Team News
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Saint-Etienne have a number of injury problems heading into Sunday's clash, with Kevin Monnet-Paquet, Charles Abi, Wahbi Khazri and Miguel Trauco all expected to miss out.
On-loan Arsenal centre-back William Saliba is also struggling with injury, while the same can also be said for former Newcastle United and Crystal Palace midfielder Yohan Cabaye.
Lois Diony is once again expected to lead the line for the home side, while Ryad Boudebouz should also keep his role in an attacking area.
As for PSG, Ander Herrera, Idrissa Gueye and Presnel Kimpembe are all still on the treatment table.
Colin Dagba is also a slight concern with a muscular problem, while fellow right-back Thomas Meunier is battling to recover from the illness that forced him to miss out against Galatasaray.
Key midfielder Marco Verratti is in line to return to the middle of the park having appeared off the bench during the week, though, while experienced centre-back Thiago Silva should also return to the back four.
Further forward, Julian Draxler could be handed a spot in the middle of the park, while Neymar, Mauro Icardi and Mbappe could again line up as the front three.
Saint-Etienne possible starting lineup:
Ruffier; Debuchy, Forfana, Perrin, Silva; Youssouf, M'Vila; Bouanga, Boudebouz, Hamouma; Diony
Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:
Navas; Kehrer, Silva, Diallo, Bernat; Verratti, Marquinhos, Draxler; Neymar, Icardi, Mbappe
We say: Saint-Etienne 0-2 Paris Saint-Germain
Saint-Etienne will not have had long to prepare for this match following Thursday's clash with Wolfsburg, and although Puel made a host of changes for the European tie, the home side face an even tougher task due to the lack of time between fixtures. As a result, we are struggling to back anything other than an away victory.
Matt Law
