After surviving Saint Etienne at Parc des Princes on Matchday 34, PSG will be looking to overtake Lille in top position in the standings when they take on Metz at Stade Municipal Saint-Symphorien on Saturday afternoon.
Mauro Pochettino welcomes Neymar back to the starting XI, but all Bernat, Marquinhos, Diallo, Navas, and Letellier are likely to miss the game with injuries.
Anyhow, we are positive that the Brazil superstar is going to help the reigning champions improve their game.
Kylian Mbappe, who scored a brace at the weekend, is likely to pose a big threat to the opposition defenders as well.
Les Grenats, on the other hand, are stuck in the middle of the standings, and seeing that they collected only one point in total from the previous four league fixtures, we believe that there is a big value in betting on Mauro Pochettino’s men.
The likes of N’Doram, Pajot, Tchimbembe, Nguette, Niane, and Cabit are out of contention for the hosts.
Metz vs PSG: Head to Head
Teams Metz PSG played so far 21 matches.
Metz won 3 direct matches. PSG won 16 matches. 2 matches ended in a draw. On average in direct matches both teams scored a 2.71 goals per Match.
Metz vs PSG: Prediction
Metz in actual season average scored 1.30 goals per match. In 16 (80.00%) matches played at home was total goals (team and opponent) Over 1.5 goals. In 7 (35.00%) matches in season 2021 played at home was total goals (team and opponent) Over 2.5 goals.
PSG average scored 2.51 goals per match in season 2021. In 19 (79.17%) matches played away was total goals (team and opponent) Over 1.5 goals. In 15 (62.50%) matches played away team was total goals (team and opponent) Over 2.5 goals.
Team News:
Metz manager Antonetti has confirmed that Niane will soon be able to return to the pitch, but the striker will be slowly integrated back into the team and would likely be restricted to a spot on the bench if he is selected for the visit of PSG.
Kevin N'Doram and Opa Nguette have been keeping Niane company in the treatment room for most of the season, but the duo are also expected to play a part before the season is over in a huge boost for the hosts, although it is too late for Vincent Pajot or Warren Tchimbembe to make miraculous recoveries.
Habib Maiga is expected to shake off fitness concerns in time to feature, and Antonetti is likely to shuffle the pack in attack as he aims to end his side's luckless streak in front of goal, so Papa Ndiaga Yade and Lamine Gueye could both be rotated into the team.
Pochettino is dealing with far more absentees than he would have hoped to at this stage of the season, as the quintet of Rafinha, Marco Verratti, Abdou Diallo, Marquinhos and Keylor Navas all missed the Coupe de France win over Angers.
All five are due to return to training at the end of this week, but this game will likely come too soon for the injured group as Pochettino hopes to recover them for the Champions League, while Juan Bernat is still out for the long-term.
Mbappe was given a complete rest in midweek but will certainly feature here - even with Manchester City in mind - and Icardi should not be dropped after hitting a rich vein of form, so Draxler will likely make way.
Metz possible starting lineup:
Oukidja; Bronn, Boye, Kouyate; Centonze, Maiga, Sarr, Delaine; Boulaya; Gueye, Yade
Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:
Rico; Florenzi, Pereira, Kimpembe, Kurzawa; Gueye, Paredes; Di Maria, Neymar, Mbappe; Icardi