Ligue 1: Can Monaco Catch PSG Off Guard?

Monaco vs Paris Saint-Germain

Third faces first in the French match of the weekend when Ligue 1: Monaco vs PSG kicks off on Friday evening at the Stade Louis II.

Monaco are battling for a Champions League place, they are currently three points ahead of Lille in fifth and a 3-2 win away to RC Lens last week was a huge result. Adi Hutter’s side will be right up for this game, as they always are against the Parisiens and back-to-back wins at a crucial time of the campaign would do Les Monegasques the world of good.

Luis Enrique’s Paris Saint-Germain drew 1-1 with Stade Rennes last week and the Ligue 1 2024 betting odds say the league leaders will have another tricky assignment on Friday.

Talking Points

Magical Minamino

Former Liverpool winger Takumi Minamino put in an outstanding shift in a six-pointer away to Lens last week and he capped it off with a stunning 92^nd minute strike to win the game.

The match ebbed and flowed and the Japan star was involved throughout, instrumental in the build up for the second goal and also winning a penalty. His clever dribbling and passing skills made space for Les Monagesques and he linked up well with his fellow forwards, as the Lens back line became stretched.

Full of energy and runningMinamino is quick to track back and help his defence, which makes his six goals and five assists all the more impressive.

He is part of an exciting front group at Monaco which also features top scorer Wissam Ben Yedder, who has 11 goals for the season, and Aleksandr Golovin who has six goals and four assists. But while Monaco are full of goals, they have been suspect defensively, conceding six in the last three games.

24-year-old Polish keeper Radoslaw Majecki was drafted in for the Lens game, in place of Philipp Kohn, and he justified Hutter’s faith with a superb display, saving eight Lens efforts, and he will be tested to the full by PSG’s all stars on Friday.

Will PSG rotate?

This has to be a good time for Monaco to face the league leaders who are a whopping 11 points clear at the top of the table and 13 ahead of Les Monagesques.

Enrique’s side is not under any pressure in the league, but they do have a huge Champions League clash away to Real Sociedad on the horizon. PSG will head to the Basque with a two goal first leg lead, but it is a very difficult place to visit and the Parisiens have been poor away from home in the Champions League, so I suspect Enrique may be tempted to rotate his team for the trip to Monaco.

Marquinhos and Milan Skriniar are still sidelined and that puts more pressure on the PSG defence. Vice captain Danilo Pereira has been slotting in at centre-back alongside Brazilian Lucas Beraldo and they are likely to continue with Lucas Hernandez and Achraf Hakimi on the flanks.

But Enrique has more options up front where Randal Kolo Muani and Marco Asensio are ready to challenge for a start, while Carlos Soler is pushing for a midfield spot.

Enrique may choose to rest Osumane Dembele and Fabian Ruiz if he shuffles his pack. Star striker Kylian Mbappe has recently said he’s off in the summer and, with 21 goals from 21 league games, he remains PSG’s biggest threat by a country mile; so Monaco fans will be delighted if Mbappe is rested for the South coast clash.

History

The Parisiens have had the better of the head to head Monaco vs PSG results but only just, with 24 wins to Monaco’s 23 in all competitions since 1993. Back in November when the two teams met in Paris there were seven goals as Enrique’s team won 5-2 to go four points clear at the top of the table.

PSG’s Ligue 1 2024 results have been much better with five wins and a draw from the last six, compared with Monaco’s two wins, two draws and two defeats and Enrique’s side has been brilliant on the road with eight wins and three draws. But they have not won on any of their last two visits to Monaco, losing 3-0 last season as Ben Yedder scored a double.

Betting Tip

Monaco are at SBOTOP odds of 2.99 to win this game with PSG at 2.01 and the draw is priced at 3.39. Les Monagesques often raise their game against the Parisiens and have been happy to take the game to these visitors when on home soil.

And while the league leaders’ form is very strong, they have kept just two clean sheets in nine games and, if Enrique does rotate his squad, this could well be the right time for Monaco to take on their old rivals.

 

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