After losing their first Ligue 1 game of the season against Lens and avoiding a scare in the Coupe de France, Paris Saint-Germain will demand an emphatic reaction against bottom side Angers on Wednesday.
There’s a 36-point gap between the two teams at polar ends of the league table, and so fans of the capital side are understandably expecting a dominant, goal-laden performance.
Here’s the lineup Christophe Galtier could opt for to provide that.
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma – Keylor Navas had a run-out in the cup game but will return to the bench for this one.
RB: Nordi Mukiele – With Achraf Hakimi serving a one-game suspension for racking up yellow cards, Mukiele will fill in on the right.
CB: Marquinhos – Marquinhos has spoken openly about his ongoing contract talks at the Parc des Princes and there is hope that an extension will be announced soon.
CB: Sergio Ramos – On the other hand, Ramos’ future is uncertain as he enters the final six months of his contract. PSG hold a 12-month extension option but the veteran defender is attracting interest from Al Nassr.
LB: Juan Bernat – Nuno Mendes remains unavailable through injury and so Bernat will continue on the left.
CM: Vitinha – Left out of the starting lineup for the Lens defeat, expect Vitinha to reclaim his pot here.
CM: Marco Verratti – Fresh off signing his new contract, Verratti should add to his tally of 400 games for PSG.
CM: Fabian Ruiz – Young Warren Zaire-Emery should see plenty of minutes once this game is one, but the more-experienced head of Fabian may get the nod from the start.
AM: Lionel Messi – Here he is. The World Cup winner has been back for the past week and is now ready to make his return to the starting lineup.
ST: Neymar – Also returning will be Neymar, who missed the last game through suspension. Not bad reinforcements.
ST: Kylian Mbappe – No longer without his superstar teammates, Mbappe will expect plenty of goals against Ligue 1’s leakiest defence.