Le Havre and Paris Saint-Germain will kick off the 2024-25 Ligue 1 season on Friday as the reigning Ligue 1 champions travel to Stade Océane.
In the 2023-24 season, Le Havre and PSG played two matches, with the Parisians winning the first encounter thanks to a 2-0 road win in December 2023. The two teams played again last April to a 3-3 draw at the Parc des Princes, but this time around, the squads will be different.
Both teams are entering new eras this season and will look to get off on the right foot. Le Havre have a new manager in Didier Digard, who was appointed this summer and has the task of improving the squad that finished with 32 points last campaign.
Le Club Doyen avoided the playoff relegation spot to remain in France's top flight, and now Digard has to ensure his squad doesn't finish in the bottom three. Le Havre will also look to take a step in the right direction with its goal-scoring as it only found the back of the net on 35 occasions and had a goal differential of minus-11.
Facing PSG will be challenging for Le Havre to get their goal-scoring off on the right foot despite being at home as Luis Enrique and his team only conceded 33 goals last season.
As for the Parisians, they'll have their first game without Kylian Mbappé. Enrique will be ushering a squad with an average age of 23.7, so PSG are counting on young talent to replace Mbappé's production.
The capital club will count on Gonçalo Ramos, Kang-in Lee, and Bradley Barcola, who will have more prominent roles in the attack this season and look to get their seasons off on the right foot against Les Ciel et Marine.
Le Havre played six preseason matches while PSG only had two, but now it's time for the new season to start, and both teams will be looking for all three points.
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>>Season Preview #13: Paris Saint-Germain
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