Potentially still feeling the effects of a gruelling Champions League contest with Newcastle United, Paris Saint-Germain resume their Ligue 1 title charge away to Le Havre on Sunday.
Les Parisiens benefitted from a contentious VAR decision to hold Newcastle to a 1-1 draw in midweek, while their hosts also took a point off of Nantes last weekend.
Match preview
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Demonstrating an affinity for bore draws since being promoted to the pinnacle of French football, Le Havre played out their fourth 0-0 in the space of five gameweeks versus Coupe de France runners-up Nantes at the Stade de la Beaujoire, where Luka Elsner's side unsurprisingly came under the cosh throughout the majority of the match.
Attacker Andre Ayew almost undid all of his side's hard work when he was sent off just two minutes after being brought on as a substitute, but even with an inferior amount of players on the field, Le Havre still kept a wasteful Nantes at bay to take a point back to base.
Since the October international break, all of Nantes, Monaco, Lens and Metz have shaken hands on a goalless draw with Le Havre, who also have a 2-1 win over Toulouse sandwiched in the middle of that quartet of stalemates, seeing Elsner's side build up a respectable five-game unbeaten run before the visit of the champions.
Matching their lack of firepower with defensive fortitude, the sturdy hosts find themselves in the top half of the rankings in eighth place - thanks in no small part to a league-high seven draws - and only a three-point gap separates them from Lens in the Conference League berth.
As admirable as Le Havre's rearguard work has been, Les Ciel et Marine have now gone scoreless in six of their last seven top-flight fixtures - including each of their last three at Stade Oceane - although PSG were indebted to a questionable handball call for their solitary strike versus Newcastle in midweek.
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Revenge was the special dish on the pre-game menu at the Parc des Princes, as PSG sought to give Newcastle a taste of their own medicine following their 4-1 St James' Park mauling, and Eddie Howe's men were down to the bare bones in midweek as injuries continued to take their toll.
Nevertheless, after weathering an early Parisiens storm, Newcastle drew first blood through Alexander Isak and clung onto their lead approaching the final few moments of the match, despite barely venturing out of their own half in the second 45 as Luis Enrique's men bombarded the back door.
The French champions' relentless pursuit of an equaliser would finally pay dividends in controversial circumstances, as Kylian Mbappe crashed home from the spot after Tino Livramento was adjudged to have committed a handball inside the box, despite replays showing that the ball hit his thigh before deflecting onto his elbow.
With work still to do in Europe, PSG return to the safe haven of Ligue 1 football aiming to consolidate their position at the summit of the standings, having maintained a one-point advantage over Nice courtesy of a captivating 5-2 win over Monaco last weekend, their sixth in a row in the French top flight.
All six of those victories have seen Les Parisiens score at least three goals, and a 3-0 beating of Le Havre in 2009 saw PSG make it five wins on the spin against this week's hosts, suggesting that Les Ciel et Marine's rearguard nous may count for precious little on Sunday.
Team News
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Le Havre attacker Ayew has incurred a one-game suspension on account of his sending-off against Nantes, but as one player takes his seat on the naughty step, two will return to the fold having served their respective bans.
Indeed, Ayew's fellow forwards Josue Casimir and Mohamed Bayo sat out the draw with Les Canaris after reaching milestone yellow-card tallies, but the pair are back at Elsner's disposal this weekend and ought to be reinstated to the first XI right away.
Leading the Le Havre assists chart with three, Casimir should demote Antoine Joujou to the bench, while Bayo can expect a recall to the tip of the attack over Andy Logbo, and the hosts also have a clean bill of health at this juncture.
Meanwhile, PSG navigated their clash with Newcastle without the services of captain Marquinhos, who is nursing a "slight" hamstring problem and remains a major doubt for Sunday's game while he follows a specific recovery plan.
Marco Asensio has now battled back from a foot problem, but a handful of players will remain sidelined for the champions, who are missing Warren Zaire-Emery (ankle), Presnel Kimpembe (Achilles), Keylor Navas (back), Nuno Mendes (hamstring) and Sergio Rico (head trauma).
While Asensio provides an alternative option in attack, Bradley Barcola led the PSG charge in the second half against Newcastle and could be rewarded with a start over Ousmane Dembele, and the same can be said of Goncalo Ramos if Enrique axes Randal Kolo Muani from the XI.
Le Havre possible starting lineup:
Desmas; Sangante, Youte Kinkoue, Lloris, Operi; Toure, Kuzyaev; Nego, Alioui, Casimir; Bayo
Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:
Donnarumma; Hakimi, Mukiele, Skriniar, Hernandez; Ruiz, Ugarte, Lee; Barcola, Ramos, Mbappe
We say: Le Havre 0-2 Paris Saint-Germain
Le Havre's Ligue 1 foundations this term have been built on a rigid defensive structure, but even with Casimir and Bayo making welcome returns to the fold, their attacking concerns are still alive and well.
A depleted PSG backline should have no trouble keeping their shot-shy hosts at arm's length, and with a taste for goals in domestic action, Enrique's men ought to prevail with ease to remain in control of their title destiny.
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Top tip
Ben Knapton
