The French season is well underway now and already it would seem that the current champions will take some stopping. PSG holds a two-point lead heading into their tricky looking clash against Nice to re-open the domestic season following the international break.
Match Preview
Nice are always one of the sides in Ligue 1 that are capable of springing a surprise, but they have been inconsistent at the start of this season and have failed to pounce on the bigger sides in the division starting the season slowly. They have won four and lost four in their opening nine league games, and they have failed to replace the goal threat that left with Mario Balotelli. They have scored 12 goals and conceded 13 in the opening weeks of the season, and PSG would certainly be expecting to get at least one goal when studying that weak backline. Nice have won just once in their last four league games, with that success coming against Dijon. Since then they have lost twice and drawn once. The defeats have come against Monaco and Nantes, while the draw came against Lille in their last home game. They will need to improve immeasurably after conceding at least once in all of their last four fixtures.
Meanwhile, PSG have quickly got down to business this season and lead the way from Nantes by two points at this early stage. They strengthened smartly over the summer with the additions of Ander Herrera and Idrissa Gueye. These two signings along with managing to keep hold of Neymar and adding Mauro Icardi has seen the French side become staked in areas where they would have been considered light last season. They have already scored 17 goals this season and only conceded the four. The midfield signings have been the reason for their upturn in defensive structure and they promise to be a force in Europe this season. They have won their last four in all competitions without conceding a goal, and scoring eight in the process, which means they are averaging two goals per game. Their last win was a commanding 4-0 win over Angers in Paris. There were goals in that game for Neymar, Gueye, Icardi and Pablo Sarabia. Nice will be apprehensive about their chances in this fixture, and that is highlighted as they are the 6.03 outsiders with BetXChange.
Head to Head
PSG hold the dominant advantage in this fixture and have won 14 of the previous meetings. Nice have recorded ten wins and there have been five draws. PSG average 1.6 goals per fixtures, while Nice average 0.9. Both matches last year were won by PSG, with the French champions winning the last fixture 3-0 in Nice.
Tip
This shouldn’t be a particularly hard fixture for PSG as they have quality superior to everybody else in France. Their defensive performances this season have been as impressive as their attacking displays and has built a solid foundation for them to build on, and has given them a better chance to succeed in Europe. There will be goals in this fixture for Icardi, and the Argentine will be the star man.
