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Paris Saint-Germain vs Nice Preview – Prediction, how to watch & potential line-ups

Christophe Galtier’s Paris Saint-Germain entertain out-of-sorts Nice at the Parc des Princes in Saturday’s handsomely-looking Ligue 1 showdown. 

Galtier, now in charge of PSG, had a recipe to hold this star-studded team goalless while at the helm of Nice last season, but he now welcomes his former employers looking to pour more misery on their poor league start.

In addition to being one of only two sides to go unbeaten in both last season’s Ligue 1 clashes against Les Parisiens (W1, D1), Les Aiglons were the only team to keep them at bay on each occasion. 

However, after swapping allegiances in the summer, Galtier won’t care much about his connections with the Allianz outfit as he aims to steer PSG to a record-breaking 11th Ligue 1 crown. 

Last season’s French champions could not have hoped for a better start to their title defence, winning seven of their opening eight league fixtures, except for a 1-1 home draw with Monaco in late August.

Kylian Mbappe & Co have since racked up four consecutive top-flight victories via an aggregate score of 8-0, with their last two league triumphs yielding the same 1-0 scoreline.

Unlike their hosts, Nice have failed to cope with Galtier’s exit, with new manager Lucien Favre experiencing an underwhelming eight-game start to his managerial tenure at the Allianz Riviera (W2, D2, L4). 

The ex-Borussia Dortmund head coach can at least find some comfort knowing both wins his men have achieved in the early Ligue 1 season came in their last two outings (L2).


Match Preview

Paris Saint-Germain

Stretching back to the tail-end of last season, PSG are unbeaten in 17 Ligue 1 matches on the trot (W13, D4), underpinning their status as the leading candidates to claim the title this term. 

But after Marseille dismantled bottom-half Angers 3-0 on Friday, Les Parisiens have temporarily slipped to second in the standings, meaning there’s no room for complacency.

Though their recent 1-0 wins over Brest and Lyon suggest fatigue could be catching up with Galtier’s men, an inspiring run of 25 unbeaten home league fixtures (W21, D4) should settle the nerves in Paris. 

Nice

Despite the arrival of Aaron Ramsey, Gaetan Laborde and Nicolas Pepe, visiting Nice have found the goals hard to come by this season, drawing a blank in four of their eight league matches so far.

Favre will be equally concerned about the prospects of Les Aiglons keeping another clean sheet against PSG after Jean-Clair Todibo received the fastest red card in Ligue 1 history last time out.

Perhaps surprisingly, playing away from home could even suit Nice’s bid to upset Les Parisiens, considering all but one of their eight Ligue 1 points this season have come on the road.

Paris Saint-Germain vs Nice Potential Line-ups

Paris Saint-Germain (3-4-3): Gianluigi Donnarumma; Nordi Mukiele, Marquinhos, Sergio Ramos; Achraf Hakimi, Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha, Nuno Mendes; Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar. 

Nice (4-4-2): Kasper Schmeichel; Jordan Lotomba, Mattia Viti, Dante, Melvin Bard; Hicham Boudaoui, Kephren Thuram, Mario Lemina, Sofiane Diop; Andy Delort, Gaetan Laborde. 

How to Watch?

PSG vs Nice, coupled with all other Ligue 1 fixtures, is available to watch online via Ligue 1 live streams.

Paris Saint-Germain vs Nice Prediction

There’s a substantial gulf in quality between the two sides and we expect PSG to secure a routine triumph. 

Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 Nice

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