PSG sitting 12 points clear at the top of the table, talk of manager Mauricio Pochettino heading to Manchester United has quietened for now, and he must focus on a quick turnaround for this Ligue 1 encounter with Nice.
PSG
Paris Saint-Germain were pushed hard by St Étienne on Sunday, conceding first before eventually winning 3-1 with Lionel Messi assisting all three goals. With PSG sitting 12 points clear at the top of the table, talk of manager Mauricio Pochettino heading to Manchester United has quietened for now, and he must focus on a quick turnaround for this Ligue 1 encounter with Nice. PSG’s much-vaunted attacking stars have excelled at home this term, where the team have a perfect league record thanks to scoring an average of 2.71 goals per game. However, after keeping just two home league clean sheets this season, PSG fans will have enjoyed defender Sergio Ramos’ long-awaited debut on Sunday as his experience will only add to their defensive solidity.
Nice
He should pose a significant challenge for Nice’s attackers, and although they’re 14 points behind PSG, this is the visitors’ best 15-game start to a Ligue 1 campaign since 2016/17, when they eventually finished third. That season also witnessed their last H2H victory, and since then they’ve only managed a solitary draw in seven meetings. Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to struggling Metz was a disappointment for a Nice squad targeting European qualification, as it allowed Rennes to move ahead of them into second place. Although they might not be too overawed by getting on the road again after winning three of their last four league away fixtures, they’ve not won here since November 2009!
Angel di Maria’s goal for PSG against St Etienne was his sixth direct league goal contribution this season, with all three of those strikes coming after the 75th minute. Nice’s Amine Gouiri has 12 such contributions in Ligue 1 this term, netting five times on the road. Nice haven’t conceded a league away goal after the 30th minute this season.