PSG will look to bounce back to winning ways in Ligue 1 on Saturday when they travel to Estadio Bollaert-Delelis to face Lens.
The Parisians were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by OGC Nice on Wednesday, ending their run of four consecutive league wins.
Nonetheless, they have a 12-point lead at the top of the table and Mauricio Pochettino will expect a better performance from his boys against Lens, who have won just once in their last five games.
Paris Saint-Germain Team News
Neymar has been ruled out of action for up to eight weeks with an ankle injury sustained against AS Saint-Étienne.
Sergio Ramos made his long-awaited debut for the club against AS Saint-Etienne, but he was left out of the squad for the game against Nice, as Pochettino looks to ease him back into the side after his lengthy injury layoff.
Heading north tomorrow evening for a matchup against @RCLens 👊
#RCLPSG pic.twitter.com/bnLpc1GDEF
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) December 3, 2021
Meanwhile, the likes of Ander Herrera, Julian Draxler and Georginio Wijnaldum are also set to miss Saturday’s clash with Lens as they are still recovering from their respective injuries.
Predicted Paris Saint-Germain Lineup vs Lens (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper
Gianluigi Donnarumma made a couple of key saves against OGC Nice to earn himself as well as his team a clean sheet on Wednesday. The Italian is expected to continue between the sticks on Saturday.
Defence
A quick turnover could see Pochettino ring changes to his side starting from defence. Thilo Kehrer could replace Achraf Hakimi at right-back in the PSG lineup. Presnel Kimpembe, Marquinhos and Nuno Mendes are expected to retain the other three spots in PSG’s flat back four.
Predicted PSG Lineup vs Lens | Ligue 1
Sergio Ramos should be in the PSG squad for the trip to Lens after being rested in the last game.
Midfield
There is a possibility we see a bit of rotation in midfield on Saturday. Leandro Paredes, who came on as a substitute in the second half against Nice, may get a start at Lens.
He could replace Danilo Pereira, while Marco Verratti is pushing for a start. Idrissa Gueye is likely to retain his place in midfield, and along with Paredes and Verratti, he’ll look to control the tempo of the game at Estadio Bollaert-Delelis.
Attack
PSG lacked the cutting edge in front of goal against Nice, with the likes of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Angel Di Maria not doing enough to breach the opposition backline.
Ahead of Paris Saint-Germain's trip to Lens, the Moroccan 🇲🇦 international spoke to #PSGTV 📺
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) December 3, 2021
Pochettino could shuffle his options upfront and hand Mauro Icardi a start at Lens. Rafinha could come in for the ageing Di Maria with Mbappe keeping his place on the left intact at the weekend.
If things don’t go according to the plan, the PSG chief can rely on Messi and Di Maria from the bench to help his team in getting all three points.
