PSG will be keen to wrap up the Ligue 1 title race when they travel to Troyes on Sunday night.
Defending champions PSG had to put the champagne on ice last weekend after they lost to FC Lorient. Christophe Galtier’s men still retain a five-point lead at the top of the table with five games to go.
Troyes, on the other hand, are in very clear danger of relegation and could go down as early as tomorrow night. A loss for them coupled with a win for Strasbourg and Auxerre should mathematically relegate the ESTAC.
Paris Saint-Germain’s home form has been suspect of late, and they will relish having to travel to a venue that has been kind to them in recent times. The Stade de l’Aube was the venue of PSG’s biggest away win, as Les Parisiens secured a 9-0 thumping in March 2019. How they could do with a repeat of it on Sunday.
Despite the visitors’ poor form, Troyes will go into the tie as lambs for the slaughter. Gauthier Gallon kept the scoreline respectable for Troyes last week against Nice and will be in for a similarly busy 90 minutes against PSG. With Troyes failing to keep a clean sheet this calendar year, it will come as a surprise if PSG fails to breach them. Winless at home since August, ESTAC have little reason to be optimistic
PSG cannot afford to drop any points on the night. Doing so might as well ring the alarm bell for Christophe Galtier, whose future at the Parc des Princes hangs by a thread. A lot is at stake when two sides with low morale meet each other this weekend. The Hard Tackle looks at how both sides could line up on the night and what tactics they might employ.
Team News & Tactics
ES Troyes AC
🚧💥#TeamESTAC 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/y1gsIayCz2
— ESTAC Troyes (@estac_officiel) May 5, 2023
The French minnows last won a home game in the league all the way back in August when they defeated Angers. They won their first game of this calendar year against Strasbourg and have since gone on a barren run. With relegation all but confirmed, morale will be at a low at the Stade de l’Aube.
In the search of a miracle, they will welcome back Rominigue Kouame who is back available following his suspension. Patrick Kisnorbo will be without the injured trio of Renaud Ripart, Abdu Conte, and Karim Azamoum. Andreas Bruus also limped off last time around and remains a doubt for the fixture.
A 3-4-2-1 formation could be the solution for the day with Gallon acting as the last line of defence. He was impressive against Nice and can expect a similarly busy evening on Sunday.
The backline of Tanguy Zoukrou, Adil Rami, and Erik Palmer-Brown will have their hands full despite Lionel Messi and Neymar being unavailable. Thierno Balde and Yasser Larouci will act as full-backs. The duo will need to drop back and form a back five once the PSG wing-backs push forward.
Kouame should partner Lucien Agoume in central midfield, aiming to keep Marco Verratti silent. Xavier Chavalerin and Wilson Odobert will act as dual number tens, with Mama Balde leading the line.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Gallon; Zoukrou, Rami, Palmer-Brown; Balde, Agoume, Kouame, Larouci; Chavalerin, Odobert; Balde
Paris Saint-Germain
The French champions have several players out injured. Neymar, Presnel Kimpembe, Nordi Mukiele, and Nuno Mendes are all ruled out for the season. With Lionel Messi also suspended by the club, Galtier will field a much weaker squad.
The visitors are still the favourites and should have enough quality to see off Troyes. Given their fragile confidence, PSG are there for the taking. However, Troyes are in a similar boat and are in no position to mount a counter-offensive.
Galtier is likely to field a 3-5-2- formation, with Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal. The back three of Danilo Pereira, Marquinhos, and Sergio Ramos will all need to keep their shape and not concede any openings. Both teams played out a 4-3 win for PSG in the reverse fixture and you can be certain that there will be goals on the night.
The trio of Carlos Soler, Marco Verratti, and Vitinha should hold the fort in central midfield with Achraf Hakimi and Juan Bernat pushing up the wings on the flank.
📄🆗 The squad to face Troyes on Sunday. #ESTACPSG I #Ligue1 pic.twitter.com/i16fQOp0I1
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) May 6, 2023
With Messi suspended, Hugo Ekitike should return to the starting XI alongside Kylian Mbappe. Soler will be tasked with pushing forward and acting as a number 10 in Messi’s absence. Doing so could see Troyes outnumber the PSG central midfield and seize control of the game.
This could be exacerbated if the visitors’ full-backs are both caught out higher up the field as well. It will give the Troyes attackers pace to run into and inflict some serious damage. There is an air of vulnerability about PSG at the moment but Troyes will have be at their best to drive home that opening.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Donnarumma; Pereira, Marquinhos, Ramos; Soler, Verratti, Vitinha, Ruiz, Bernat; Mbappe, Ekitike
Key Stats
- Troyes are winless in their last 16 Ligue 1 games against PSG.
- PSG have scored 51 goals against Troyes in Ligue 1, more than any other side in the French top flight. PSG’s biggest away win in Ligue 1 came at Troyes, winning 9-0 in 2019.
- Troyes have 22 points in Ligue 1 after 33 games. The last 22 teams to be at this stage have all ended bottom of the standings come the end of the season.
- PSG have lost six Ligue 1 games since January 1st. This is the third most of any side in the Ligue 1 top ten today.
- Troyes are winless in their last 14 home games in the league. This is the longest such streak of any side across Europe’s top five leagues.
Player to Watch
Kylian Mbappe
Only one of PSG’s vaunted front three will be part of the matchday squad on Sunday, and the stage is set for him to shine. The French ace has been out of sorts over the last few weeks but will need to step up and take charge of the occasion.
Mbappe scored the strangest goal of his career so far against Lorient last time around but otherwise struck a blank as PSG lost 3-1 at home. The defending champions have one hand on the Ligue 1 trophy and will need their stalwart attacker to help them over the line. Troyes have been abysmal at the back and it will come as a surprise should Mbappe not strike it rich.
With Lionel Messi absent, there should be a lack of connectivity between the PSG midfield and attack. The onus will be on Mbappe to take the game by the scruff of the neck and make the difference. Another loss and PSG will certainly be sweating going into the final games of the campaign.
Prediction
ES Troyes AC 1-2 Paris Saint-Germain
Both teams have been defensively suspect and are unlikely to keep a clean sheet on the night. PSG despite their absentees remains a much stronger side on paper and will be expected to see out the game. The Hard Tackle predicts a close 2-1 win for PSG, with the loss all but sealing Troyes’s fate in the French top flight.
