Sports Mole previews Sunday's Ligue 1 clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Aiming to take a further step towards the French crown, Paris Saint-Germain will welcome Europe-chasing Lyon to Parc des Princes for a Ligue 1 clash on Sunday night.
Les Parisiens enjoyed a memorable night in the Champions League on Tuesday, whilst Les Gones are coming into this fixture after a seven-goal thriller with Brest last time out.
Match preview
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Looking to win an elusive Champions League crown for the first time, Kylian Mbappe and PSG booked their spot in the final four of this year's competition with a 4-1 second-leg victory over La Liga champions Barcelona on Tuesday night at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, but things did not start well for the visitors.
Possessing a one-goal lead from the first leg, the Catalan club doubled their advantage overall as former Leeds United man Raphinha found the net in the 12th minute, although Les Parisiens produced a remarkable comeback to continue in the tournament, with Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha getting onto the scoresheet alongside Mbappe, who bagged a brace.
Focusing back onto Ligue 1 matters, Luis Enrique's side disappointed massively during their most-recent domestic fixture, sharing the spoils with bottom side Clermont Foot on April 6, when a late strike from Goncalo Ramos forced a draw following a shock opener from Habib Keita.
That being said, Les Parisiens were still able to extended their unbeaten streak in Ligue 1 to an outstanding 23 matches and could be in line to secure their French crown on Sunday night, with the hosts sitting 10 points ahead of second-placed Brest, who come up against third-placed Monaco this weekend.
Despite their soon-to-be-champions status, PSG have not fared amazingly at the Parc des Princes in Ligue 1 this season, only winning eight of their 14 league matches in front of their home supporters in the French capital, dropping points on six occasions.
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Lyon managed to extend their unbeaten streak in Ligue 1 to five matches last Sunday, when Les Gones came out on the winning side of a seven-goal thriller versus second-placed Brest at Groupama Stadium, seriously denting the visitors' chance of challenging PSG for the league title.
During a pulsating encounter - in which both sides had men receive their marching orders - Lyon were 3-1 behind heading into the final 20 minutes, but strikes from Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Tagliafico - coupled with an Ainsley Maitland-Niles penalty - allowed the hosts to steal three points.
After collecting 13 points from their last five Ligue 1 contests since the beginning of March, Pierre Sage's men have moved up to seventh in the Ligue 1 standings, now just two points behind sixth-placed Lens with five games left to go of a dramatic top-flight campaign.
Providing the large majority of the attacking firepower for Les Gones, former Arsenal marksman Lacazette has made the net ripple on 15 occasions in 24 Ligue 1 matches for his side so far in 2023-24, meaning that he leads his club's Golden Boot race ahead of centre-back Jake O'Brien, who has netted four times.
Paris Saint-Germain Ligue 1 form:
- D
- D
- D
- W
- W
- D
Paris Saint-Germain form (all competitions):
- W
- W
- W
- D
- L
- W
Lyon Ligue 1 form:
- L
- W
- W
- D
- W
- W
Lyon form (all competitions):
- W
- W
- D
- W
- W
- W
Team News
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PSG remain without the services of centre-back Presnel Kimpembe, who is expected to be sidelined until the end of the month due to an Achilles injury.
Les Parisiens' options in their backline are further limited by the absence of Layvin Kurzawa, with the left-back managing just one league appearance this season due to a back issue.
There could be some alterations from the side who started the victory at Barcelona on Tuesday, with the likes of Mbappe and Dembele potentially earning a rest.
After his red card late on during the win over Brest last time out, left-back Tagliafico will be unavailable for selection at Parc des Princes on Sunday.
Lyon will therefore require a new starter on the left side of their four-man backline, with Brazilian Henrique Silva representing the most natural option.
Following his assist off the bench last weekend, Rayan Cherki is targeting a promotion to the starting XI, potentially at the expense of 19-year-old Malick Fofana.
Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:
Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Hernandez, Mendes; Zaire-Emery, Vitinha, Ruiz; Dembele, Barcola, Mbappe
Lyon possible starting lineup:
Lopes; Maitland-Niles, Mata, O'Brien, Silva; Caqueret, Matic, Tolisso; Cherki, Benrahma, Lacazette
We say: Paris Saint-Germain 1-1 Lyon
After the elation of Tuesday night, we are expecting a potentially limp performance from PSG on Sunday, when Lyon could end up earning a result from their visit to the French capital.
Les Gones are enjoying a good run of form and will be confident of upsetting the odds at Parc des Princes this weekend.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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