Ligue 1 preview

Ligue 1 26/02/2022: Paris Saint-Germain host St Etienne, Strasbourg tackle Nice

The last round of Ligue 1 fixtures was certainly eyebrow-raising, well at least if you are a Paris Saint-Germain fan! It’s time now to give the lowdown on this weekend’s games, and we will preview two of them — Strasbourg v Nice, and PSG v St Etienne — which are both on Saturday. We will also see how the latest match odds are shaping up.

Nice aiming to consolidate Champions League spot

Nice have enjoyed a fine campaign to date, and as things stand, Champions League football is well within their grasp. A 1-0 victory at home to Angers last weekend leaves them in third spot, three points clear of fourth-placed Strasbourg, and just a point behind Marseille, who are in second.

Against Angers, Justin Kluivert scored the only goal of the game. But the Dutchman insists he’s nothing like his legendary father, Patrick. Kluivert senior was a striker, who enjoyed a decorated career at Barcelona and AC Milan to name just a few of his clubs. However, Justin took his goal well against Angers, and he’s certainly a player to watch in the future!

Strasbourg still in the Champions League picture

As mentioned, Strasbourg are lurking in and around the Champions League spots, and they will be happy with their recent form. Although they were held to a 2-2 draw away by Ligue 1 strugglers St Etienne, they have turned a corner since their 4-3 defeat away to Bordeaux last month.

Strasbourg v Nice: A look back on past clashes

The head-to-head record always makes for interesting reading. And Strasbourg will fancy their chances against Nice. When the two sides last met back in December, Strasbourg were comfortable 3-0 winners on that day. Ludovic Ajorque opened the scoring in the 21st minute. While two goals inside the space of three second-half minutes from Habib Diallo and Adrien Thomasson settled the game in Strasbourg’s favour.

Paris Saint-Germain desperate to make amends after Nantes humiliation

It’s not often that PSG are put on the back foot or embarrassed, but that happened against Nantes last weekend. PSG are still 13 points clear of their title rivals Marseille at the top of Ligue 1, but the 3-1 loss to Nantes will be a cause for concern.

Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe both denied by Alban Lafont

While the manner of their defeat will have hurt PSG, nothing should be taken away from Alban Lafont’s display in goal for Nantes. He had some big saves to make during the game and, once again, Lionel Messi was frustrated. Kylian Mbappe had also been in a rich vein of form, but he too was to be denied.

Although there would have been a high from beating Real Madrid 1-0 in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League tie, PSG lacked the same bite and intensity they usually have. Mauricio Pochettino couldn’t conceal his disappointment after the game. He said: “I don’t think we were tired. We didn’t manage the situation very well.”

Meanwhile, Saturday evening’s opponents, St Etienne, need to get their act together. Although they have won two of their past three Ligue 1 matches, they are perilously close to the danger zone in 16th spot, a point above the bottom two.

Paris Saint-Germain v St Etienne: Looking back on past clashes

Perhaps unsurprisingly, PSG have enjoyed facing St Etienne. Earlier this season, the French giants ran out 3-1 winners on the road back in November. On that day, strikes from Marquinhos and Angel Di Maria helped them come from behind to take all three points.

PSG have only lost twice so far this campaign, and it is rare that they lose back-to-back games. This will be an extremely tough game for St Etienne. PSG will be angry after their loss to Nantes last weekend. So, we should expect PSG to bounce back strongly and claim all three points at the Parc des Princes. Thus taking another step towards the title.

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