Montpellier vs Paris Saint-Germain Preview – Prediction, how to watch & potential line-ups | OneFootball

Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain travel to Stade de la Mosson to take on bottom-half strugglers Montpellier in a must-win contest on Wednesday.

Stephy Mavididi’s second-half brace at Auxerre last weekend fired La Paillade to a morale-boosting 2-0 win, ending their sub-par run of three consecutive league defeats at the start of the new calendar year.

Back to Montpellier after a two-year episode in La Liga with Atletico Madrid and Espanyol, goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte kept a clean sheet on his debut on Sunday, including a stoppage-time penalty save.

However, Romain Pitu’s men are still anxiously looking over their shoulders as they hold a frail five-point lead on 17th-placed Strasbourg, suggesting a season-long fight against the drop is still on the cards.

PSG’s visit to de la Mosson would typically present Montpellier with a Herculean task, but Christophe Galtier’s men have experienced an abysmal start to the new calendar year.

After suffering two defeats in their first three league matches of 2023 (W1), Les Parisiens conceded a 97th-minute equaliser in a disappointing 1-1 home draw against Reims at the weekend.

Despite a substantial gulf in quality between them and other Ligue 1 title hopefuls, the visitors can no longer feel safe at the top, with second-placed Lens starting this round only three points off.

In these challenging times for PSG, the news of Milan Skriniar’s imminent arrival from Inter Milan is a breath of fresh air, but their focus must stay on this fixture.

Match Preview

Montpellier

Following a clear-cut win at Auxerre, Montpellier are looking to post back-to-back Ligue 1 triumphs for the first time since August 2022 and put more wind in their sails amid a scary-looking relegation fight.

That’s easier said than done, though, as they have lost their last three top-flight encounters against PSG at home, frustrating conceding at least three goals on each occasion.

If that’s not concerning enough, Pitau’s men head into this matchday winless in their last five Ligue 1 outings at de la Mosson (D1, L4), letting in 2+ goals four times in that run.

Paris Saint-Germain

PSG followed up a 3-1 defeat at Lens in their 2023 Ligue 1 opener with a 1-0 loss away to Rennes on their last league travel and could lose their first three away league games of a calendar year for the first time since 2001.

While a seven-game winning streak against Montpellier in the top-flight should inspire confidence in the travelling camp, Galtier was left fuming after PSG attempted just one first-half shot on target against Reims, their lowest total before half-time in Ligue 1 since April 2018.

Kylian Mbappe could change to script at de la Mosson, as his remarkable tally of ten goals and five assists against Montpellier make La Paillade his favourite opposition in Ligue 1.

Montpellier vs Paris Saint-Germain Potential Line-ups

Montpellier (4-2-3-1): Benjamin Lecomte; Enzo Tchato, Christopher Jullien, Maxime Esteve, Faitout Maouassa; Leo Leroy, Joris Chotard; Arnaud Nordin, Teji Savanier, Stephy Mavididi; Valere Germain.

Paris Saint-Germain (4-3-3): Gianluigi Donnarumma; Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Sergio Ramos, Juan Bernat; Fabian Ruiz, Danilo Pereira, Renato Sanches; Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar.

How to Watch?

Montpellier vs PSG, coupled with all other Ligue 1 fixtures, is available to watch online via Ligue 1 live streams.

Montpellier vs Paris Saint-Germain Prediction

Despite PSG’s commanding league form against Montpellier, we cannot back the visitors with any real conviction.

Galiter’s men have lacked energy and desire at the start of 2023, so we wouldn’t be surprised if they fail to pick up three points here.

Montpellier 1-1 Paris Saint-Germain