Paris Saint-Germain resume their Ligue 1 title defence when they host Monaco at Parc des Princes on Friday night.
Luis Enrique has suffered only one loss in France’s top flight since succeeding Christophe Galtier in the PSG dugout but their title credentials will be examined here by a Monaco side just three points behind them in the table.
The Spanish manager has a couple of concerning injury worries to deal with, with young star Warren Zaire-Emery sidelined for a few months after scoring on his France debut.
Here’s the side PSG may deploy on Friday night.
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma – Never that far away from a major gaffe but was solid and composed when Italy needed him against Ukraine, keeping a clean sheet to confirm their spot at Euro 2024.
RB: Achraf Hakimi – While his Ligue 1 replacement Carlos Soler scored and assisted against Strasbourg during his suspension, Hakimi will slot back in at right-back.
CB: Nordi Mukiele – With Marquinhos unlikely to feature due to a hamstring problem and makeshift centre-back Danilo Pereira also struggling, Mukiele could make just his third league start of the season.
CB: Milan Skriniar – Recently revealed he believes teams that face PSG in France treat it like a World Cup final.
LB: Lucas Hernandez – Wasn’t given a warm welcome by PSG’s ultras when signing from Bayern Munich in the summer but has since claimed Kylian Mbappe played a large role in convincing him to make the move.
CM: Vitinha – Featured as a substitute in Portugal’s games against Liechtenstein and Iceland and will hope for a solid remainder of the 2023/24 season to make their squad for Euro 2024.
CM: Manuel Ugarte – Looks set for a big role for Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay in the coming years. Had an excellent game as his international side beat Argentina in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying.
CM: Fabian Ruiz – Warren Zaire-Emery’s injury on national team duty should open the door for Ruiz, who has started five Ligue 1 games this season.
RW: Ousmane Dembele – “It’s been a long time since I played in a stadium with such a great atmosphere,” Dembele recently claimed. Look away, Barcelona fans.
ST: Randal Kolo Muani – Didn’t get the chance to stat-pad in the 14-0 thumping of Gibraltar but did open the scoring in France’s 2-2 draw with Greece.
LW: Kylian Mbappe – Mbappe got his 300th career goal in that Gibraltar game, reaching the landmark in quicker time than both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
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