Paris Saint-Germain will resume their Ligue 1 duties on Sunday when they welcome FC Lorient to Parc des Princes.
The runaway league leaders have endured a difficult spell of late, losing three of their last four games in all competitions. The Parisians were dumped out of the Champions League by Real Madrid, and while they beat Bordeaux 3-0 in their following game, they were soundly beaten by the same scoreline by AS Monaco before the international break.
So, manager Mauricio Pochettino will be desperate for a strong response from his side in the upcoming league fixture against Lorient, who are currently 16th in the table.
Paris Saint-Germain will be again without the services of Sergio Ramos, with the experienced Spanish defender struggling with a niggling calf issue.
Mauricio Pochettino will also have to do without Keylor Navas (flu), Angel di Maria (thigh), Layvin Kurzawa (back), Ander Herrera (eye) and Juan Bernat (calf) for the game against Lorient.
Goalkeeper
With Keylor Navas out with illness, Gianluigi Donnarumma becomes the natural choice to start between the sticks for PSG. The Italian will be raring to keep a clean sheet on Sunday after conceding thrice against Monaco in the last game.
Defence
A back four of Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Presnel Kimpembe and Nuno Mendes are expected to start in front of Donnarumma. After enduring a tough time against Monaco’s offensive players in the previous game, they will all need to step up and show more resilience while defending against Lorient.
Midfield
Leandro Paredes is a guaranteed starter at the base of the three-man midfield unit, where he will need to keep a close eye on Thomas Monconduit. Marco Verratti and Georginio Wijnaldum are expected to take up the remaining two slots in the centre of the park and may need to do some defensive work to help Paredes against the counter-attacking threat posed by Lorient forwards.
Attack
In Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, Pochettino has a star-studded attack at his disposal that is capable of ripping apart any defences on their day.
Mbappe has consistently delivered the goods this season and is a certainty to lead the Parisians’ attack. The French superstar will be flanked by Messi and Neymar, and the South American duo should look to combine well in the final third and produce quality moments to help the hosts beat Lorient at the weekend.
If Messi, Mbappe and Neymar find themselves on the same page, Lorient defenders could be in for a long evening at Parc des Princes.
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