PSG vs Paris FC

Joint-record Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain take on second-tier outfit Paris in a seemingly straightforward mid-season friendly assignment.

With some key first-team members reaching the 2022 World Cup semi-finals, Paris Saint-Germain cannot call upon their best line-up for this fixture. However, the reigning Ligue 1 champions will take the field as odds-on favourites, riding on an eye-catching seven-game winning streak, including a 5-0 humbling of fellow top-flight rivals Auxerre on the stroke of the World Cup break. Christophe Galtier’s men were firing on all cylinders before the mid-season halt crippled their momentum, netting 2+ goals in six consecutive games across all competitions at an average of 3.83 goals per match. However, after drawing 1-1 in their only previous friendly against Paris in 2017, PSG would be well advised to avoid getting complacent.

In the meantime, inspired by a 2-0 away win over lower-league Cosne in the Coupe de France, second-tier Paris head into proceedings with nothing to lose. Stuck in mid-table Ligue 2 lethargy, ‘Les Parisians’ welcomed the World Cup break in the midst of a decent spell of form, having won three of their four competitive matches (L1), including two without conceding. What’s even more impressive is that Thierry Laurey’s men have won each of their last six away outings across all competitions, racking up an eye-catching four clean sheets in the process. That streak includes a morale-bolstering 2-0 triumph at last season’s Ligue 1 relegation boys St Etienne, further asserting their credentials.