Clermont vs PSG

Defending Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain travel to Stade Gabriel Montpied to encounter rock-bottom Clermont Foot.

Clermont Foot’s nightmare at the start of the new Ligue 1 campaign continued last weekend as they slumped to a 2-1 defeat at newly-promoted Le Havre. Nailed to the bottom of the standings with just one point from the opening six rounds, the hosts are miles away from replicating last season’s impressive eighth-place finish. Pascal Gastien’s men need to find a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, and after shockingly overcoming PSG 3-2 on last season’s final weekend, this could surprisingly be a fresh start. However, ‘Les Lanciers’ had lost all three previous top-flight H2Hs in the 21st century by a combined score of 15-1, suggesting there’s no reason to get ahead of themselves. Indeed, not only have they lost all three home league games this term, but they failed to score in the last two.

On the other hand, Kylian Mbappe’s early withdrawal due to injury didn’t disrupt PSG as they humbled bitter rivals Marseille 4-0 last weekend to bounce back from a dreadful 3-2 home loss to Nice. Manager Luis Enrique hasn’t enjoyed the best of starts to his Ligue 1 adventure (W3, D2, L1), but his men are still only two points adrift of early pacesetters Brest. ‘Les Parisiens’ seem to be starting to catch Enrique’s drift, racking up four wins in their last five competitive games (L1), which increases the likelihood of extending their formidable league form on the road. The visitors haven’t lost a Ligue 1 match outside the Parc des Princes since February (W7, D2), largely thanks to their unstoppable frontline. Indeed, it’s been seven road trips since they last recorded an away league shutout.