Preview: PSG head to Reims
A changed side?
Luis Enrique will attempt to keep his team atop the division, but will do so with several key absences. Already without striker Gonçalo Ramos until the turn of the year, he has more recently been without goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and will also take on the Champagne side without Marco Asensio, the Spaniard having been forced off at halftime against Girona. With Achraf Hakimi also being rested, we could see a radically reworked side from Enrique.
In goal, Matvey Safonov will keep his place ahead of Arnau Tenas, while youngster Yoram Zague is likely to play in Hakimi's place at right back. Elsewhere in the side, summer signing Désiré Doué is likely to be handed his first start in attack, with Randal Kolo Muani playing centrally and the former Rennes man operating on the left side of Enrique's 4-3-3. Despite these changes, with the likes of João Neves and Ousmane Dembélé likely to be included from the off, PSG will remain a dangerous proposition from the off, with Enrique saying of the Frenchman pre-match: "I think Ousmane has picked up where he left off last season. He has always been crucial for us. He has an incredible ability to get past his man. Ousmane was very good last season, this season he's even better and we'll keep working so that he continues in that vein."
𝗘𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗲𝗹 𝗔𝗴𝗯𝗮𝗱𝗼𝘂, Rémois jusqu'en 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣8️⃣
— Stade de Reims (@StadeDeReims) September 20, 2024
Confident Reims
Reims will be full of confidence themselves, though, having navigated a challenging set of fixtures to start the season impressively under new manager Luka Elsner. After losing their first match of the season, playing with only ten men against Lille, they rebounded impressively to draw against Marseille, a side who have been among the league's best, before beating Rennes and Nantes in successive rounds. They also reported some good news this week, announcing a contract extension for Côte d'Ivoire international defender Emmanuel Agabdou.
Agbadou will be -- as he all season -- a key factor in the hosts' hopes of limiting Dembélé and company, with Elsner likely to match Enrique's 4-3-3 with one of his own. Key to the team's attack are its two Japanese internationals, Junya Ito and Keito Nakamura -- the two linked up for the winner against Nantes last weekend and will be eager to do the same here. While not likely to start, Reims will also welcome back Mohamed Daramy, the Danish international being fit for the first time this season.
Predicted lineups:
Stade de Reims (4-3-3): Diouf; Buta, Agbadou, Kipré, Akieme; Munetsi, Atangana, Teuma; Ito, Diakité, Nakamura
Paris Saint-Germain (4-3-3): Safonov; Zague, Marquinhos, Pacho, Beraldo; Lee, Neves, Ruiz; Dembélé, Kolo Muani, Doué
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