Preview: Strasbourg vs Paris FC - prediction, team news, lineups

RC Strasbourg Alsace will aim to continue their push in Ligue 1 when they host Paris FC at the Stade de la Meinau on Sunday.

The hosts are still competing in four competitions and must rotate their squad to keep players fresh for each fixture, while the visitors are focused solely on maintaining a safe distance from the relegation places this season.

Match preview

Strasbourg took a significant step toward the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa Conference League with a 2–1 victory away to HNK Rijeka on Thursday, but they must quickly shift their focus back to domestic action as they prepare to host Paris FC in Ligue 1 at the Stade de la Meinau on Sunday.

The fixture arrives during a demanding stretch for Strasbourg, who are navigating a packed calendar and will be playing their fourth match in 13 days, having already contested three games in the space of nine days across competitions, forcing the Alsace club to rely heavily on squad depth to maintain momentum in the league.

Strasbourg enter the contest in a relatively strong position in the standings, sitting eighth in Ligue 1 with 36 points and remaining firmly in the hunt for European qualification places, although a number of draws in recent weeks has prevented them from making a stronger push up the table.

Three of their last six matches have ended level, including a goalless draw away to AJ Auxerre in their most recent league outing, while the other stalemates came at home against title challengers RC Lens and away to Olympique de Marseille.

Despite their demanding schedule, Strasbourg remain in good overall form and are currently unbeaten in six matches while continuing to compete on multiple fronts, balancing their league campaign with European and domestic cup commitments.

However, fatigue could soon become a factor as the schedule intensifies, meaning careful rotation and game management will likely be required from head coach Martin O’Neil and his staff ahead of Sunday’s encounter.

With nine matches remaining in the season, Le Racing sit five points behind the qualification places for the UEFA Europa League and Conference League and will need to rediscover consistency and begin putting together a sustained run of victories if they are to return to European competition next season.

Encouragingly for the visitors, the reverse fixture earlier this campaign proved competitive as Strasbourg edged a 3–2 victory, while the Alsace side have lost just three of the last 15 meetings between the two teams, recording seven wins and five draws during that period.

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The threat of relegation became a serious concern for Paris FC following a poor run of results that prompted the club to make a managerial change, dismissing Stephane Gilli and appointing Antoine Kombouare in February in an attempt to stabilise their season.

The 62-year-old coach, often described as the “French Sam Allardyce,” has built a reputation as a specialist in keeping clubs in the top division after previously achieving survival with teams such as Valenciennes FC, Dijon FCO and FC Nantes, and he has already brought a sense of stability within a short time of taking charge.

Kombouare made an immediate impact by winning his first match in charge away from home, guiding Paris FC to a 1–0 victory over OGC Nice on March 1 to end the club’s six-match winless run in all competitions.

He came close to securing a second victory last weekend against Olympique Lyonnais, but his side were denied by a dramatic 96th-minute penalty that forced a 1–1 draw against one of the most in-form teams in Ligue 1 since the start of the year.

Paris FC arrive in Alsace hoping to build on that encouraging performance, currently sitting 13th in the table and maintaining a cushion above the relegation places thanks to a series of resilient displays in recent weeks.

The capital club have suffered only two defeats in their last six matches across all competitions, while their draw away to Lyon highlighted their ability to compete against stronger opposition.

Their away form has also shown signs of improvement, with the team unbeaten in their last three domestic matches on the road while conceding just twice during that run.

Strasbourg Ligue 1 form:

Strasbourg form (all competitions):

Paris FC Ligue 1 form:

Paris FC form (all competitions):

Team News

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O’Neil made five changes to the team that drew with Auxerre last weekend when Strasbourg defeated Rijeka in the Conference League on Thursday, and with the second leg scheduled for next week, the manager will need to carefully manage his squad to avoid further injuries.

Strasbourg are already dealing with several injury concerns, including striker Emanuel Emegha who remains sidelined with a muscle fibre tear, defender Aaron Anselmino who is recovering from a hamstring injury, and winger Diego Moreira who is unavailable due to an abductor problem.

Paris FC also added two more names to their injury list last weekend as both Rudy Matondo and Marshall Munetsi were forced off with suspected injuries during the draw with Lyon.

Other players currently sidelined for the visitors include Pierre-Yves Hamel with a calf strain, Sofiane Alakouch with a knee problem, as well as Remy Riou, Lamine Gueye and Hamari Traore.

There is better news, however, as the trio of Otavio, Thibault De Smet and Ilan Kebbal are all available again after serving their respective suspensions.

Strasbourg possible starting lineup:

Penders; Doue, Doukoure, Omobamidele, Chilwell; Oyedele, Ouattara, Enciso; Yassine, Godo; Fofana

Paris FC possible starting lineup:

Trapp; Coppola, Mbow, Camara, Sangui; Lees-Melou, Marchetti, Ollila; Simon, Ikone, Krasso

We say: Strasbourg 0-1 Paris FC

Strasbourg’s immediate priority may be finishing the job against Rijeka in the Conference League next week, meaning rotation is likely for Sunday’s match, which could make this a challenging league fixture against an opponent fighting to move further away from the relegation zone.

Paris FC came close to defeating Lyon last weekend and, with the “new manager bounce” still evident under Kombouare, the visitors could be capable of grinding out another positive result in Alsace.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.