The wider footballing world may have been left unimpressed by Luis Enrique’s Paris Saint-Germain at St. James’ Park, but the French champions have otherwise been impressive at the start of the Spaniard’s tenure.
PSG have enjoyed an unbeaten run since that stuffing on Tyneside, although Enrique has continued to be bold with his team selections. The Spaniard is typically associated with a 4-3-3 formation and long periods of perhaps dreary possession, but Enrique has instead adopted a variety of systems at the start of 2023/24 to bring about fresh exuberance.
Enrique once again employed an aggressive 4-2-4 last weekend at Brest which helped them establish a 2-0 lead but also contributed to PSG surrendering it. A late Kylian Mbappe penalty meant they eventually secured all three points, however.
With the 4-2-4 proving the antithesis of establishing the outright control Enrique craves, the Spaniard could change tack for Friday night’s encounter at home to Montpellier.
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma – Injuries to Sergio Rico and Keylor Navas mean Donnarumma is PSG’s only senior goalkeeper available on Friday night.
RB: Nordi Mukiele – Achraf Hakimi has played a lot of football so far this season, and he’s got a big task ahead next week when PSG visit Milan. Former RB Leipzig defender Mukiele could come into the side to give Hakimi a rest.
CB: Milan Skriniar – Skriniar is a shoo-in to start at centre-back.
CB: Danilo Pereira – One of those players you probably forgot was still at the club. Nevertheless, Danilo has an important role to play at centre-back in Marquinhos’ absence.
LB: Lucas Hernandez – Nuno Mendes is out until the new year which means the lion’s share of Hernandez’s minutes will come at left-back for the foreseeable.
CM: Manuel Ugarte – A stabilising presence at the base of midfield, PSG’s ball-winning fiend should come back into the side on Friday.
CM: Warren Zaire-Emery – The teenager is just an absolute sensation. Zaire-Emery scored a wonderful first in the win over Brest last weekend and has already established himself as a key man in Enrique’s side.
CM: Vitinha – Vitinha had enjoyed an excellent start to the campaign but hasn’t been quite as prominent in recent outings. He should get a chance to impress in a three-man midfield against Montpellier.
RW: Ousmane Dembele – Lee Kang-in is a supreme talent and was excellent at Brest but it’d be a surprise to see Dembele named on the bench again. The Frenchman still awaits his first PSG goal.
ST: Randal Kolo Muani – Again, Enrique is expected to rotate his two talented young strikers after Goncalo Ramos started last time out.
LW: Kylian Mbappe – Mbappe will stand in as captain on Friday night with Marquinhos out. The French superstar, who finished third in Ballon d’Or voting, scored twice in the win at Brest.
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