Ligue 1: Monaco and Newcastle on the menu, PSG double or double

Nothing is going well, play your games. Between now and the end of the year, PSG will experience an intense month which could largely influence the rest of the season. Back from an international break which caused damage, with the injuries of Warren Zaire-Emery and Marquinhos, Luis Enrique’s players will play seven matches between this clash against AS Monaco, “a direct rival” according to the technician Spanish, this Friday (9 p.m.), on behalf of the 13th day of Ligue 1, and December 20, date of the reception of Metz. In between, they will face Le Havre, Nantes and Lille in Ligue 1 and Newcastle and Dortmund in the Champions League. No break, the Parisians – like the other clubs involved in the European Cup – will play every three days.

Two major objectives in order to spend the end-of-year holidays warm: to consolidate their leading position in the championship standings but also and above all to secure their place in the round of 16 of C1. Kylian Mbappé and company could already take a good option on both counts by winning their next two matches, against Monaco this Friday (9 p.m.) and Newcastle, Tuesday (9 p.m.). Or conversely, see their future darken…

ASM is in third place in the standings, three points behind PSG. It’s a shock. Failing to be as brilliant in the game as at the start of the season, Adi Hütter’s players have four victories in their last six matches. They gave in to Lille (2-0) and could have conceded another defeat at Le Havre (0-0) just before the break if Samuel Grandsir had converted his penalty in stoppage time. “It’s a good point. Over the 90 minutes, I think both teams deserved a point. The positive point is that we played a second match without conceding a goal, but in the use of the ball, we have to think about it in the weeks to come, because we didn’t have as many chances as That. We must correct that,” indicated the Monegasque coach, who will undoubtedly recover Vanderson and Krépin Diatta to face Paris but will have to do without Youssouf Fofana (suspended) and of course Breel Embolo and Caio Henrique. “We are not afraid,” the Austrian swears again. We want to play with courage. We must not hide or betray our principles.”

A style that does not displease Luis Enrique. “It’s a team that I really like because it doesn’t calculate,” he emphasizes. Behind us, it is the one which generates the most chances and scores the most goals (these are the two best attacks in Ligue 1, 29 goals for PSG and 25 to the credit of Monaco, Editor’s note). They should also have more points. It is a team of our level and which aspires to be even higher in the ranking,” he further notes, assuring however that the outcome of the meeting will not necessarily be decisive, unlike the next matches of C1. “It is important for this to mean because it is a direct rival but there will still be a lot of matches to play in this championship. This will not be decisive for the awarding of the championship. It’s simply about playing a high-level match, being better than the opponent, taking the ball from them, having the maximum number of scoring opportunities and ensuring that they don’t have too many,” explains the former Barça coach.

Often at ease at the Parc, the Monegasques will be pleasantly surprised to note that the Parisian rearguard will be without Marquinhos this Friday. Which could greatly facilitate their task, especially in depth. Affected on Tuesday with Brazil, the Parisian captain is out for around ten days. A real blow. His absence had notably allowed Terem Moffi to show his speed during Nice’s victory in Paris (2-3). It was already after an international break and before a C1 match.

Luis Enrique will have to find the least bad solution to compensate for his absence, but also that of Warren Zaire-Emery, injured with the Blues and out for the rest of the year. No cakewalk, even if Luis Enrique shows his confidence that his squad is sufficiently armed to deal with these problems: “Without a doubt. I have the best squad in the championship. The squad is large and of a very good level.” All while Gonçalo Ramos – whose purchase option has already been exercised – and Randal Kolo Muani – who scored with the Blues in Greece (2-2) – are still struggling to establish themselves at the forward position. center. So much so that “Lucho” favored a “false 9” in the second period in Reims (0-3), Kang-in Lee. The returns of Marco Asensio and Danilo Pereira, as well as the presence of Manuel Ugarte, will not be too much, that’s for sure.

Still, Paris-SG has often stood out for its excitement away from its bases since the start of the season, notably in the Champions League, at Newcastle (4-1) and, more recently, Milan (2-1). The Rouge et Bleu have every interest in continuing to shine at the Parc des Princes, first against Monaco, and then against Newcastle. Not spared by physical problems, the Magpies lost their last two matches before the international window, to Dortmund (2-0) in C1 then to Bournemouth (2-0), in the Premier League. Before facing Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea on Saturday (4 p.m.), during the 13th day, they occupy seventh place in the English championship standings. Newcastle are also and above all last in Group F of the Champions League with four points, three less than PSG, second. Depending on Dortmund’s result in Milan at the same time, the French champions could confirm their place in the round of 16 on Tuesday. In which case, their trip to Germany on December 13 would represent a final for pole. Otherwise, it would be a real round of 16.

So far, Luis Enrique and his players are enjoying great goodwill from the media and fans, with everyone giving the product a chance. New project, new style. It takes time, that’s for sure. If they were to reach the winter break without being at the top of the championship and especially without a ticket in their pocket for the round of 16 of the Champions League, patience could quickly give way to frustration.

“These are indeed crucial matches in the Champions League, these two matches (Newcastle Tuesday and Dortmund on December 13) will determine whether we advance to the group stage or not. In Ligue 1, we will also have important matches but the season will still be long. We have a lot of desire after this break. We want to continue the momentum from before the international break,” says “Lucho”. No offense to him, the next four weeks will be decisive, starting with the two upcoming matches, Newcastle and first Monaco, one of Kylian Mbappé’s favorite victims, from whom Luis Enrique expects more as he confided after his hat-trick in Reims: 10 goals and six assists in 12 matches for him against his training club.