Toulouse vs Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain’s first travel of the 2023/24 Ligue 1 campaign takes them to the Stadium Municipal as they meet Toulouse.
Toulouse’s bid to build upon last season’s 13th-place Ligue 1 finish was off to a promising start as new manager Carles Martinez oversaw a come-from-behind 2-1 win at Nantes on his touchline debut last weekend. Two unanswered goals beyond the hour mark propelled Toulouse to a sixth consecutive away league game without losing (W4, D2), but things have been more complicated on home turf. Since a 3-1 romping of Rennes in early February, ‘Le Tefece’ have gone winless in their last seven Ligue 1 matches at the Stadium Municipal (D2, L5), drawing a blank on four occasions. PSG’s upcoming visit threatens to extend their dismal home form, with Toulouse losing their last seven top-flight H2Hs, including a 3-0 thumping in this corresponding fixture in 2022/23.
However, without Neymar and Lionel Messi, Paris Saint-Germain’s bid to defend a new outright-record 11th Ligue 1 crown hit a brick wall on the opening weekend as they failed to score in a tepid 0-0 home draw against Lorient. Keen to bounce back from his nightmarish touchline debut, new manager Luis Enrique will cherish KylianMbappe’s return to the fold and the arrival of Ousmane Dembele from Barcelona. The household French duo will reinforce the visitors’ hopes of extending their seven-game unbeaten away streak in Ligue 1 (W6, D1). Since PSG’s last nine league wins away from home have seen them score multiple goals, the visiting fans will be forgiven for expecting a free-scoring showing from Enrique’s side. But it may not be the case, considering they’ve netted precisely one goal in four of their last six visits to Toulouse.