Lorient vs Paris Saint-Germain

Stade du Moustoir is the venue as relegation-threatened Lorient and runaway leaders Paris Saint-Germain go head-to-head in a lopsided Ligue 1 encounter.

Lorient’s stuttering bid to secure Ligue 1 survival took another blow at the weekend, with Nice’s comprehensive 3-0 victory extending their winless league run to five matches (D1, L4). Each defeat in that sequence saw Lorient fail to get on the scoresheet, highlighting their uneventful frontline as the team’s weakest link. That’s not far from the truth, knowing only five sides have netted fewer Ligue 1 goals than Lorient’s 35 this term. Stranded three points adrift of safety, Les Merlus must rediscover their ‘killer instincts’ before it’s too late, as pinpointed by manager Regis Le Bris in the wake of his side’s humbling at the hands of Nice. Since goal difference could play a significant part in their battle against the drop, damage limitation against a PSG side they’ve lost to via multi-goal margins in two of their last four top-flight H2H (D1, L3) will be at the forefront of their minds.

Paris Saint-Germain unexpectedly slumped to a tepid 0-0 draw in the reverse fixture, but Luis Enrique’s free-firing squad will be confident of packing a punch this time after putting Lyon to the sword at the weekend. PSG’s quick-fire start was too hot to handle for Lyon as they grabbed a 2-0 lead inside the opening six minutes of their overwhelming 4-1 home triumph, with all five goals coming before halftime. It was Paris’ second straight 4-1 win following a famous demolition of Barcelona in the return leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie. Back to Ligue 1, where they boast a formidable away record in 2023/24 (W10, D4), Les Parisiens will take the field buoyed by a 24-game unbeaten league streak (W17, D7), seeking a win that would crown them the champions for the 12th time.