Paris Saint-Germain took a big step towards securing a record 11th Ligue 1 title last weekend with a home win over RC Lens which saw Kylian Mbappe make history. Christophe Galtier’s side are in action again on Friday when they travel to face rock-bottom Angers who recently won a Championnat clash for the first time since September. The hosts are 17 points adrift of safety and going down while the visitors are eight points clear at the summit with a favorable run-in.
“I think Angers will play their game without any pressure because this team is almost relegated,” said Galtier pre-game on Thursday. “So there will be players free of this pressure, who will want to play well, and in a great atmosphere. They drew with Nice and beat Lille recently. We will have to start this game properly to give them no hope, but also to our direct opponents who are still hoping, because the title is not yet secured. It was a very difficult season for Angers, where I played one season. I have no doubt that they will be at 150%, without any pressure of result, so I think it will be a very open game. We have one goal: to win.
“We are working with Luis Campos to improve the structure of the team next season, to have more variety in our play through different formations. A review will also be done at the end of the season, even if we exchange a lot with the president and Luis. It was a unique season with the biggest competition in the middle of it. We will have to analyze what happened in the first part of the season and in the second. We know what we need to work on to improve the squad and to improve the way we play.”
Here’s our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Friday, Apr. 21 | Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
- Location: Stade Raymond Kopa — Angers, France
- TV: beIN Sports USA | Live stream: fuboTV (try for free)
- Odds: Angers +1000; Draw: +500; PSG -400 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Team news
Angers: Nabil Bentaleb is suspended while Pierrick Capelle, Farid El Melali, Amine Salama, Miha Blazic, Ilyas Chetti, Ali Kalla and Ulrick Eneme-Ella are all out. Halid Sabanovic and Cedric Hountondji might also miss out while Jean-Matteo Bahoya could be deployed in midfield by Alexandre Dujeux.
Possible Angers XI: Bernardoni; Rao-Lisoa, Valery, Bamba, Ghoulam, Kalumba; Bahoya, Mendy, Hunou; Abdelli, Niane.
PSG: Timothee Pembele, Renato Sanches, Nuno Mendes, Nordi Mukiele, Presnel Kimpembe and Neymar are all out of the squad injured. Galtier could be able to name more or less the same XI we saw at Parc des Princes against Lens, though, with Mbappe and Lionel Messi up top with Vitinha alongside Fabian Ruiz, Carlos Soler or the returning Marco Verratti in the middle.
“Our squad is still weak, even if Marco is back. Nuno, on the other hand, will be out, even though he did the training session on Thursday. He didn’t feel good, so we won’t take any risks. The squad is also weakened because three players will not be able to play before the end of the season.
“Marco has been at PSG for many years. We know how important he is in our game and also in the dressing room because he is the link between the players, but also on the pitch. He is the first link for the defenders and often triggers the first pass forward. He is cheerful, but also focused on the competition. He is having a good season overall, even if it has been disrupted by injuries. He has extended, and is an important player in the dressing room because of his tactical knowledge.”
Possible PSG XI: Donnarumma; Marquinhos, Ramos, Danilo; Hakimi, Soler, Ruiz, Vitinha, Mendes; Messi, Mbappe.
Prediction
PSG probably could not lose this one even if they wanted to. Angers have a string of absentees and the atmosphere around the club is toxic right now owing largely to the chaotic reign of ex-president Said Chabane. Do not expect a classic, but Les Parisiens should still win easily enough. Pick: Angers 0, PSG 3.