Paris Saint-Germain vs St Etienne prediction, preview, team news and more | Ligue 1 2020-21
After beating Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League, Paris Saint-Germain now focus their attention on St-Etienne in Ligue 1 action.
PSG are currently second in the table, three points behind league leaders Lille, while St-Etienne are 13th with just six more matches left to play.
Mauricio Pochettino will be worried about his side's home form as they have not won at the Parc des Princes since overcoming Nice back in mid-February. In recent weeks, PSG have lost to Monaco, Nantes, Lille and Bayern Munich while drawing with Barcelona at home.
Meanwhile, St-Etienne have won their last two games on the road against Angers and Nice respectively.
Paris Saint-Germain vs St-Etienne Head-To-Head
Of the 38 games played between both teams, Paris Saint-Germain have won on 23 occasions and lost five. The last time they met, it was Pochettino's first game in charge at PSG.
The reigning Ligue 1 champions were held to a 1-1 draw away from home. Romain Hamouma took the lead for Claude Puel's side before Moise Kean equalized.
Both clubs managed the same number of shots (11) but St-Etienne (5) had one more shot on target than their opponents (4).
To regain their top spot in the league, Pochettino will have to rally his team to put up a strong display against St-Etienne to earn three points.
Paris Saint-Germain form guide in Ligue 1: W-L-W-L-W
St-Etienne form guide in Ligue 1: W-W-L-W-L
Paris Saint-Germain vs St-Etienne Team News
Paris Saint-Germain
Mauro Icardi is likely to remain unavailable after a thigh injury which has ruled him out of action since 18 March. There is no return date set for the Argentine striker and he is a huge doubt for the game. Similarly, Juan Bernat and Layvin Kurzawa face fitness tests ahead of the game.
Marquinhos is out with a groin problem and PSG have confirmed that their captain will miss the match against St-Etienne. Furthermore, Abdou Diallo pulled a muscle in Champions League action and he might miss the game.
Adding to Pochettino's woes, Neymar will continue to serve his two-match suspension after receiving a red card while playing against Lille.
Injured: Marquinhos
Doubtful: Mauro Icardi, Juan Bernat, Layvin Kurzawa, Abdou Diallo
Suspended: Neymar
St-Etienne
Puel is expected to be without Stefan Bajic, Ryad Boudebouz, Yvann Macon, Anthony Modeste and Alpha Sissoko for the game.
Veteran goalkeeper Jessy Moulin, who has not been with the squad in the last three games, is also a doubt. As such, the manager could name an unchanged starting lineup.
Injured: Stefan Bajic, Ryad Boudebouz, Yvann Macon, Anthony Modeste, Alpha Sissoko
Doubtful: Jessy Moulin
Suspended: None
Paris Saint-Germain vs St-Etienne Predicted XI
Paris Saint-Germain Expected XI (4-2-3-1): Keylor Navas; Thilo Kehrer, Danilo Pereira, Presnel Kimpembe, Mitchel Bakker; Idrissa Gueye, Leandro Paredes; Angel Di Maria, Rafinha, Kylian Mbappe; Moise Kean
St-Etienne Expected XI (4-1-4-1): Etienne Green; Mathieu Debuchy, Harold Mokoudi, Papu Abou Cisse, Gabriel Silva; Yvan Neyou Noupa; Romain Hamouma, Mahdi Camara, Adil Aouchiche, Denis Bouanga; Wahbi Khazri
Paris Saint-Germain vs St-Etienne Prediction
Despite PSG's subpar home form, the odds are with Pochettino's side and they are expected to secure victory. PSG's forwards will fancy their chances of netting a few goals against St-Etienne's leaky defense at the Parc des Princes.
St-Etienne's main striker Khazri, who scored a hat-trick against Bordeaux last week, could also get onto the scoresheet.
Prediction: Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 St-Etienne