Summit between Saint-Germain and Monaco
Emirates team, led by Brazilian manager Felipe Luis, enters the clash armed with a strong start after winning their first two matches, seeking a third consecutive victory away at their rivals’ stronghold, or at least a positive result against the league champion for the past five seasons and European champions in the last two campaigns.
Monaco tops the standings after victories over Le Havre and Olympique Marseille, and faces the Parisian side with the experience of Finnish goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky, the brilliance of midfield duo Denis Zakaria and Lamine Camara—who was on the verge of joining English club Chelsea during the summer transfer window—and striker Paris Bruner, who scored a brace in his team’s win over Marseille in the previous round.
On the other hand, pressure is mounting on Paris Saint-Germain and their Spanish manager Luis Enrique, after the team managed only two narrow draws in their first two matches, both ending 2-2 against Rennes and Lille. They are looking for a strong start in their first home match of the season.
Enrique also aims to correct his team’s trajectory, which has seen just one win in their first four matches this season—a 2-1 victory over English club Aston Villa in the UEFA Super Cup. He is also hoping for a morale-boosting win ahead of their campaign to defend their European title, when they host Slovakian side Slovan Bratislava next Wednesday.
Against Monaco, Enrique relies on his prominent attacking weapons, led by the trio of Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué, and new signing Spanish forward Ferran Torres, who scored two goals against Rennes in his debut after joining from Spanish club Barcelona.
The Parisian squad also features Portuguese midfielders Vitinha and João Neves, alongside new signing Magnin Akliouche and Spanish midfielder Fabián Ruiz, as well as Moroccan right-back Achraf Hakimi. However, Enrique faces a major challenge in addressing defensive errors that have cost the team some of its prestige, especially since they have failed to keep a clean sheet since the start of the current season.
Away from this highly anticipated top-of-the-table clash, the round began with Toulouse facing Lille on Thursday evening, while Olympique Lyon plays against Auxerre on Friday.
Three matches are scheduled for Saturday, featuring Lens against Lorient, Nice against Le Mans, and Le Havre against Brest.
