Montpellier vs PSG

Underperforming Ligue 1 leaders PSG take a trip to the Stade de la Mosson to meet bottom-half Montpellier in a must-win contest.

Stephy Mavidid’s second-half double catapulted Montpellier to a confidence-boosting 2-0 win at Auxerre last weekend, halting their abysmal three-game losing Ligue 1 streak. But there’s no time for celebrations, as Romain Pitu’s men start this round only five points clear of 17th-placed Strasbourg. Montpellier’s underwhelming five-game winless league run on home turf (D1, L4) cannot inspire much confidence, though, and neither can the fact they’ve lost nine of their last ten top-flight encounters against PSG. After beating Auxerre, ‘La Paillade’ could register back-to-back wins in Ligue 1 for the first time since August 2022, though it’d require them to snap a three-game losing home league run against PSG. Pitu’s side ominously conceded at least three goals in each of those three defeats.

However, PSG’s bid to win a record-breaking 11th Ligue 1 title has experienced a false start to 2023, with Christophe Galtier’s men picking up just one victory in four league matches since the turn of the year (D1, L2). Left with ten men after Marco Verratti’s second-half expulsion, the Ligue 1 pacesetters could only manage a disheartening 1-1 home draw against Reims last weekend, allowing second-placed Lens to close the gap to a mere three points. It’s not the end of the visitors’ agony, as after losing their opening two top-flight travels in 2023, they risk starting a new calendar year with three consecutive away defeats in Ligue 1 for the first time since 2001.