Saturday evening in Lorraine brings a kind of lopsided Ligue 1 matchup, with Metz hanging at the bottom of the table while Paris Saint-Germain arrive chasing the top spot.
Metz are coming off a rough 3–1 loss at Auxerre that dropped them back into the basement, and PSG, despite thrashing Rennes 5–0, are still sitting second and very much in the title mix.
For Metz, things honestly looked brighter not too long ago. Stéphane Le Mignan had them rolling into the November break after winning three league games straight, and it really felt like they were finding their feet again. But since then, it’s gone sideways pretty fast.
Metz posted a photo of the players available to face PSG via their official X account.
View the post below:
Three defeats in a row have dragged them right back into trouble, and another one here would be their worst run since the end of the 23–24 season.
PSG’s situation is a weird mix of pressure and expectation. They’re only one point behind Lens but have fewer points than this time last season, and dropping a third league defeat this early would be unfamiliar territory.
But after the 1–0 loss to Monaco, Luis Enrique’s men have tightened up with two straight clean sheets.
Softfootball understands that their away form has not been great recently. Following their recent 3-0 victory against Le Havre, they’ve dropped points in three of their last four on the road and somehow haven’t even scored in the last two.
Team News
Metz Urie-Michel Mboula is still doubtful with that hamstring problem that’s been bothering him. Joseph Mangondo also remains unsure due to his knee, so the squad might feel a bit thin again.
The one positive spark has been Gauthier Hein, who keeps dragging the attack along; he scored again last weekend, his fifth of the season, even if it didn’t change much in the result.
For PSG, there’s a long line of absences too. Achraf Hakimi, who recently won the African Player of the Year award, is still dealing with a hamstring strain, Nuno Mendes has a thigh issue, Lucas Beraldo is managing a sore calf, and Lucas Chevalier is out with an ankle injury. On top of that, Ousmane Dembélé is injured.
But PSG’s attack doesn’t exactly run out of options. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored twice last weekend, and Senny Mayulu, Ibrahim Mbaye, and Gonçalo Ramos also got on the scoresheet. So even with the injuries, the firepower is still pretty strong.
Possible Lineups
Metz:
Fischer; Colin, Gbamin, Sane, F. Toure; Traore, Deminguet; Sabaly, Hein, Tsitaishvili; Diallo
Paris Saint-Germain:
Safonov; Zaire-Emery, Marquinhos, Pacho, Hernandez; Mayulu, Vitinha, Neves, Kang-in; Ramos, Kvaratskhelia
SoftFootball’s Prediction
Once you get one goal past Metz, things tend to fall apart pretty fast for them, and this feels like the wrong timing for the home side because PSG are desperate to keep up with Lens. It’s hard to see Metz keeping this tight for long.
Prediction: Metz 1–3 Paris Saint-Germain
