Ligue 1 preview and tips: Nice looking to add to PSG's recent woes
- George Dempsey
- 7 April 2023
Paris Saint-Germain will be hoping to get their Ligue 1 title challenge back on track when they visit Europa League hopefuls OGC Nice on Saturday night (20:00 BST).
PSG, by their standards, at least, is a club in crisis. Six defeats in their last 10 games has seen them exit the Coupe de France and the Champions League.
Last-minute goals from Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi have spared their blushes in three of their four wins during that 10-game period.
Those three goals are responsible for the six-point gap between them and the chasing pack of RC Lens and Marseille.
Lucien Favre's OGC Nice are the side in much better form coming into this game. Since losing 2-1 at Parc des Princes on October 1st, 2022, Nice have been beaten just once in 20 Ligue 1 games. They're also unbeaten in 10 at home.
While the presence of Messi and Mbappe will always offer a potent threat up front, they're short-handed at the back. The balance hasn't been there in recent weeks, and Nice are in with a chance here.
Despite their blistering start to the season, where they were victorious in 14 of their first 16 games and remained unbeaten, PSG have now slipped up in six of 13 Ligue 1 contests.
A mixture of their hectic schedule and some high-profile injuries has played a role in their downfall. Despite having an extended break before facing Lyon, PSG looked very susceptible to the counter in a 1-0 loss.
That is likely to be relevant here as Nice will be more than happy to concede possession to Christophe Galtier's side and hit them on the break. Only Clermont have let in more goals on the counter than PSG this season.
Neymar, Sergio Ramos, Presnel Kimpembe, and Nordi Mukiele are among the absentees for PSG.
While the presence of Messi and Mbappe will always offer a potent threat up front, they're short-handed at the back and the balance hasn't been there in recent weeks. Nice are in with a chance here.
