PSG vs Montpellier preview & prediction
Paris Saint-Germain vs Montpellier preview & prediction
Nine goals scored. Zero conceded. One trophy already in the cabinet. Christophe Galtier’s start to life at PSG has been close to perfect so far, but the Frenchman still has a long way to go to appease the merciless Parisiens board.
The opening-day trip to Clermont last week saw Neymar, Marquinhos and Achraf Hakimi get on the scoresheet before the half-time whistle blew, and the former then turned provider for Lionel Messi before a stunning overhead kick from the Argentine sealed a romping PSG success.
Sitting at the top of the fledgling rankings after just one game, PSG will have no intention of losing their grip on first place in the next 37 gameweeks, and their unbeaten run in the top flight now stands at 10 matches.
The reigning champions are still in the market for new arrivals as they prepare to bring Fabian Ruiz to the club from Napoli, with Galtier admitting in his pre-match press conference that his side are in need of another striker to take some of the pressure off of Kylian Mbappe’s shoulders.
After going unbeaten at the Parc des Princes for the entirety of last season in Ligue 1, PSG now set out to extend their unbeaten domestic streak on home soil to a whopping 23 matches, and a leaky Montpellier defence should travel to the capital in hope rather than expectation.
Goals can always be expected in a game where Olivier Dall’Oglio is wandering up and down the touchline, but the crowd at the Stade de la Mosson could not have envisaged the blockbuster start that occurred in Saturday’s battle with Troyes.
By the 17-minute mark, Teji Savanier, Theo Sainte-Luce, Florian Tardieu and Mama Balde had struck for their respective sides, and the scoreline would remain at 2-2 before a moment of magic from Savanier bagged Montpellier all three points.
The Paillade captain bagged his second with a lovely cushioned finish from the edge of the area in the 81st minute, which broke a miserable 11-match winless run for Dall’Oglio’s side in Ligue 1 since beating now-relegated Bordeaux back in March.
Meetings with Auxerre, Brest and Ajaccio will follow for La Paillade after their tough examination against PSG, who are aiming to inflict a sixth-straight away loss onto Dall’Oglio’s men, who have shipped at least two goals in each of their last five away league battles.
PSG eased to a 2-0 win at the Parc des Princes over Montpellier last term before a 4-0 success at the Stade de la Mosson back in May, which represented the champions’ seventh consecutive win in this fixture in all competitions.
Losing a top talent in Mavididi is not what the doctor ordered for Montpellier before a trip to the champions, who are now in their 16th month without a Ligue 1 defeat at the Parc des Princes.
Savanier and Elye Wahi can still pose a threat going forward for La Paillade, but we cannot see any other outcome than another resounding success for PSG.
Value Bet: Home to score over 1.5 goals
Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 Montpellier