"Biggest moment of his life" "Start of something truly special" - PSG fans rejoice as attacker starts alongside Kylian Mbappe and Neymar in Lionel Messi's absence

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) fans are delighted to see Hugo Ekitike in the Parisians' starting line-up to face FC Lorient in Ligue 1 today (6th November).

PSG will face Lorient at the Stade du Moustoir in their 14th Ligue 1 match of the season this afternoon. A win against the hosts would see the Parisians increase their lead over RC Lens at the top of the table to five points.

Les Parisiens notably beat Troyes 4-3 at the Parc des Princes in the league in their last match. They also go into the clash against Lorient on the back of a 2-1 victory over Juventus in their final UEFA Champions League group stage game.

It is worth noting that PSG are yet to taste defeat this season, having won 16 and drawn four of their 20 matches in all competitions. They will thus be determined to keep their unbeaten run intact today.

With less than an hour to go until kick-off, the French giants have named their starting line-up for the match. Christophe Galtier has made five changes to the team that beat Troyes in their last Ligue 1 match.

Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, Danilo and Ekitike have all earned a place in the visitors' starting XI today. A section of PSG supporters are particularly pleased to see Ekitike, who replaces Lionel Messi, in the line-up.

Here is how fans reacted to the news on Twitter:

Hugo Ekitike wow, biggest moment of his life. Start of something truly special

@hadrien_grenier Exactement la compo idéal bravo Galette

@hadrien_grenier Ekitiké doit lâcher les chevaux, c’est le moment.

J’espère vraiment qu’Ekitike marquera, il en a vraiment besoin ça lui ferait énormément de bien

Ekitike starts but we have to witness Danilo in midfield... twitter.com/PSGhub/status/…

Match important pour Ekitike twitter.com/hadrien_grenie…

Ekitike enfin twitter.com/hadrien_grenie… https://t.co/QXLeFqramn

@hekitike9 C’EST TON MOMENT MON GRAND, MET LE NOUS CE VILAIN BUT ! https://t.co/nvEKx2EdUX

Ekitike has amassed 181 minutes of playing time across all competitions since joining the Parisians from Stade Reims on loan in the summer. He will be hopeful of grabbing his first goal for the club today.

How have PSG's opponents Lorient fared this term?

Lorient were notably involved in a relegation battle in the French top-flight last season. They ultimately finished 16th in the Ligue 1 table with 36 points and were just four points above the drop zone.

However, Les Merlus have made a strong start to their 2022-23 season as they now sit fourth in the table. They have 27 points to their name, having won eight, drawn three and lost two of their 13 matches so far.

Lorient, though, have notably failed to win each of their last three games in the league. It now remains to be seen if they will return to winning ways when they face PSG today.

While the Parisians go into the match as the favorites, the hosts will be determined to cause an upset over the defending champions. A shock win against Galtier and Co will see Lorient reduce the gap with them to five points.