Paris Saint-Germain return to Ligue 1 action with the visit of Olympique Lyonnais on Sunday at Parc des Princes. Luis Enrique’s men picked up a big 3-0 win away at Red Bull Salzburg in the UEFA Champions League in midweek while Pierre Sage’s side saw off Eintracht Frankfurt 3-2 in the UEFA Europa League.
Goncalo Ramos, Nuno Mendes and Desire Doue did the damage for Les Parisiens in Austria on Tuesday but the French champions still remain outside of a top 24 spot in the league phase of the UCL for now. Next up for Paris will be Manchester City before VFB Stuttgart which means that there can be no slacking off between now and the return of European soccer in late January.
Lyon lost narrowly to Besiktas in late October but are unbeaten in nine games across all competitions since then. Les Gones are progressing in their UEL quest towards the round of 16 and had Rayan Cherki, Malick Fofana and Ernest Nuamah to thank for the goals as they saw off German opposition at Groupama Stadium on Thursday.
Here’s our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Sunday, Dec. 15 | Time: 2:45 p.m. ET
- Location: Parc des Princes – Paris, France
- Watch: beIN Sports | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
- Odds: PSG -250; Draw +400; Lyon +550
This season so far
PSG’s domestic form is hugely different from their continental showings with a 14-game unbeaten run in place since the start of the Ligue 1 season. Luis Enrique has seen his team drop points against the likes of Nantes and Auxerre lately but the capital outfit are five points ahead of Olympique de Marseille in second. For now, Les Parisiens are on course to retain their French crown with Bradley Barcola leading their scoring charts with 10 goals and two assists which is one shy of Jonathan David’s tally of 11 for Lille OSC. Lyon come into this one having thumped Nice and Angers by three-goal margins recently in Ligue 1 with an unbeaten run on the road of eight. The last time OL suffered defeat away from home was against Stade Rennais back in August and their defense has been key with just six goals conceded across their last nine Championnat games.
Team news
PSG: Presnel Kimpembe is edging towards a return action while Lucas Hernandez made his comeback in midweek and could start here. Senny Mayulu remains out while Ousmane Dembele was suspended in the Champions League in midweek. Nuno Mendes took a knock against Salzburg so could make way for the returning Hernandez with Goncalo Ramos looking to build on his goal after returning from injury.
Possible PSG XI: Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Hernandez; Ruiz, Vitinha, Neves; Dembele, Barcola, Ramos.
Lyon: Sage is unlikely to make too many changes from the starting XI which saw off Frankfurt in midweek. Said Benrahma and Georges Mikautadze must impress with substitute appearances if they hope to break back into the starting side which logically will not happen while the team is in its current form.
Possible Lyon XI: Perri; Maitland-Niles, Niakhate, Caleta-Car, Tagliafico; Tolisso, Matic, Cherki; Fofana, Nuamah, Lacazette.
Prediction
This one is likely to be tight with PSG capable of scoring goals but not always reliable to take their chances and up against an OL side which is growing harder and harder to score against. A narrow win by a goal or so sounds about right with 2-1 also a possible result. Pick: PSG 1, Lyon 0.
